UFC 331: Van and Pantoja Set for Flyweight Title Rematch, Tsarukyan Returns

Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja will headline UFC 331 in September, in a flyweight title rematch scheduled for September 19 in Los Angeles, according to an official announcement Thursday.

Van claimed the belt in their first meeting with a first-round technical knockout in December, after then-champion Pantoja suffered an early injury. In the co-main event, Arman Tsarukyan will take on Mauricio Ruffy in the lightweight division.

Previous Encounter

The co-main event at UFC 323 in Las Vegas lasted just 26 seconds when then-champion Pantoja (30-6) dislocated his elbow after falling to the canvas while Van (17-2) caught him in a leg attack, rendering him unable to continue.

Van, just 24 years old, became one of the youngest champions in promotion history and ended Pantoja's eight-fight winning streak, which included four title defenses.

While Pantoja has been recovering from the loss, Van successfully defended his title at UFC 328 with a fifth-round knockout of Tatsuro Taira. Van now rides a seven-fight winning streak.

The unusual nature of Pantoja's injury and the manner of the defeat made a rematch with Van inevitable.

Tsarukyan's Return to the Octagon

Tsarukyan (23-3) recently competed in wrestling at the Real American Freestyle event; his last UFC bout was in November 2022 in Qatar, where he defeated Dan Hooker via a second-round wrist lock submission.

Tsarukyan is eager to regain a title shot against Russia's Islam Makhachev, after being forced to withdraw from a bout in January 2025 due to injury.

However, he faces dangerous rising talent Ruffy (14-2), who most recently knocked out Michael Chandler in the first round at UFC Freedom 250 in June.

Date and Venue

UFC 331 is scheduled for Saturday, September 19, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, USA. Early prelims begin at approximately 5:00 p.m. ET (9:00 p.m. GMT), prelims at 7:00 p.m. ET (11:00 p.m. GMT), and the main card at 9:00 p.m. ET (1:00 a.m. GMT Sunday).

Fight Card

• Joshua Van vs Alexandre Pantoja
• Arman Tsarukyan vs Mauricio Ruffy
• Patricio Pitbull vs Doo-ho Choi
• Renato Moicano vs Brian Ortega
• Alonzo Menifield vs Iwo Baraniewski
• Gable Steveson vs Sean Sharaf
• Marlon Vera vs Charles Jourdain
• Tai Tuivasa vs Robelis Despaigne
• Edmen Shahbazyan vs Brunno Ferreira
• Giga Chikadze vs Joanderson Brito
• Casey O’Neill vs Eduarda Moura
• Ryan Gandra vs Ozzy Diaz
• Michael Aswell Jr vs Joosang Yoo

How to Watch

UFC 331 will be broadcast live on Paramount+ in the US, TNT Sports in the UK, Foxtel/Kayo in Australia, Sportsnet+ in Canada, and UFC Fight Pass worldwide.

Main Event Odds

According to DraftKings, Pantoja opens as a slight favorite at -120, while Van is listed as the underdog at +100.