Joshua Van retained the UFC flyweight title over Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision in the UFC 331 main event in Los Angeles, going the full five rounds this time after their first meeting ended in 26 seconds. The card's biggest shock came further down the bill: heavy favorite Gable Steveson was knocked out in 12 seconds by Sean Sharaf in what the UFC is already calling one of the biggest upsets in its history.
The main event: Van answers every question this time
Van left no doubt on the scorecards, sweeping the fight 50-45, 49-47 and 49-46 to make the second defense of the flyweight title. He out-landed Pantoja over five rounds and stuffed double-digit takedown attempts (a takedown is bringing an opponent to the mat), then saved his best moment for last, dropping Pantoja with a right hand in round five and nearly finishing with a kimura — a shoulder-lock submission hold — before Pantoja escaped.
Pantoja, who is ranked as the division's No. 1 contender, had spurts of control time on the ground, but they were never enough to sway the judges. The rematch answered the question the 26-second opener never got to: whether Van's length and power could hold up against Pantoja's wrestling and submission threat over a full five rounds. It did.
The co-main: Tsarukyan ends it with elbows
Tsarukyan needed under five minutes to put away Mauricio Ruffy, landing a left elbow that hurt him and a follow-up right elbow that finished the fight with four seconds left in round one. Ruffy had briefly wobbled Tsarukyan with a right hand and stuffed an earlier takedown attempt, but the finish went to Tsarukyan.
The fight was put together on short notice after Tsarukyan's planned rematch with Charles Oliveira fell through, with a lightweight title shot reportedly on the line for the winner. Tsarukyan, the division's No. 2-ranked contender, got the statement finish he needed; Ruffy, ranked No. 7 entering the night, falls to 14-3.
The upset of the night: Sharaf shocks Steveson
Sharaf needed one punch. A single left hand dropped Steveson just 12 seconds into their heavyweight bout, and Sharaf followed up with strikes on the canvas before the referee stepped in. Steveson, a 2020 Olympic wrestling gold medalist, came in a -2000 betting favorite and undefeated at 4-0; the loss ends that run and snaps Sharaf's own 0-2 skid inside the Octagon.
Pitbull snaps his skid with a first-round finish
Pitbull delivered his best performance of his UFC run, stopping Doo Ho Choi with first-round punches to snap a two-fight skid. His right hand found the mark repeatedly in the opening minutes and opened a cut, then a clean right hand buckled Choi and follow-up ground-and-pound — strikes landed from a dominant position on the ground — forced the referee to step in at 3:28.
Menifield ends Baraniewski's unbeaten run
Menifield handed previously unbeaten Iwo Baraniewski the first loss of his career, grinding out a split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) despite fighting through a broken left thumb. Baraniewski rocked Menifield with a right hook and had the better of the grappling exchanges early, but Menifield — the No. 14-ranked light heavyweight — pushed through the injury to land the heavier volume over the final two rounds. The loss ends Baraniewski's run at 9-1; he had finished all nine of his prior opponents.
Prelims
| Fight | Winner | Method | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jourdain vs. Vera | Marlon Vera | KO/TKO (punches) | 3, 2:02 |
| Tuivasa vs. Despaigne | Robelis Despaigne | Decision (split) | 3 |
| Aswell vs. Yoo | Michael Aswell Jr. | Decision (split) | 3 |
| Gandra vs. Diaz | Ryan Gandra | KO/TKO (punches) | 1, 2:04 |
| Shahbazyan vs. Ferreira | Edmen Shahbazyan | Decision (unanimous) | 3 |
| O'Neill vs. Moura | Casey O'Neill | Submission (armbar) | 1, 3:22 |
| Chikadze vs. Brito | Joanderson Brito | KO/TKO (ground and pound) | 1, 1:57 |
The night's most spectacular finish came from Casey O'Neill, who survived early danger — Eduarda Moura briefly had her caught in a tight anaconda-choke attempt — before working free, elevating Moura off the mat, and rolling the ensuing scramble straight into a fight-ending armbar (an arm-extension submission) at 3:22 of round one. Both women rank in the division's top 15, O'Neill at No. 12 and Moura at No. 13, so the win moves O'Neill further up the flyweight contender picture.
Marlon Vera snapped a four-fight losing skid, battering Charles Jourdain until Jourdain waved the fight off from the canvas in round three. Robelis Despaigne edged Tai Tuivasa by split decision, stretching Tuivasa's losing streak to eight straight and tying the UFC's all-time record for consecutive losses. Ryan Gandra ran his winning streak to ten straight with a first-round finish of Ozzy Diaz, and Joanderson Brito pounced on a Chikadze slip to blast him out with ground-and-pound, extending Chikadze's own skid to four losses in a row. Michael Aswell Jr. was the lone underdog to cash in among the featherweight prelims, taking a split decision over heavily favored Joo Sang Yoo.
What it means
Van's clean sweep closes the book on the questions the 26-second opener left open and gives him the clearest resume of any flyweight titleholder in years, while Tsarukyan's finish puts him next in line for a 155-pound title shot. Further down the card, the record-tying skids for Tuivasa and Chikadze are a reminder that a decorated resume buys no fighter immunity from a single bad night — and neither does a -2000 line, as Steveson found out in 12 seconds. Full records, odds and the pre-fight breakdowns for every matchup are on the UFC 331 event page.