Joshua Van Defends Flyweight Title Against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331, 9th Division Main Event
Updated
Updated · UFC · Sep 17
Joshua Van Defends Flyweight Title Against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331, 9th Division Main Event
3 articles · Updated · UFC · Sep 17
Summary
UFC 331 on Saturday in Los Angeles will feature Joshua Van’s second flyweight title defense, a rematch with Alexandre Pantoja nine months after Van won the belt when Pantoja suffered a dislocated elbow 26 seconds into their first fight.
Van enters on a seven-fight winning streak and says the rematch became unavoidable not only because of the injury ending, but also because Pantoja’s later trash talk sharpened a rivalry that now headlines a numbered UFC card.
The 24-year-old Myanmar champion also arrives with added legitimacy after beating Tatsuro Taira in Newark, rallying to stop the Japanese contender 92 seconds into the fifth round in one of 2026’s most praised fights.
Saturday marks only the ninth flyweight title fight to headline a numbered UFC event in the division’s 14-year history, underscoring how far the weight class has come after once facing questions about its future.
For Van, already the first fighter from Myanmar to reach the UFC, another win would both settle lingering doubts from the injury-shortened title win and add another milestone to his bid to elevate flyweight’s profile.