Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja
UFC 331 · September 19, 2026 · Crypto.com Arena · Main Card 9:00 PM ET
The brief
- What kind of fight
- Rematch with the first fight's real questions unanswered
- Finish likelihood
- Medium
- The line
- No line posted yet
- The stakes
- Flyweight · Title fight · Main event
The read
Van is the pick, but this should be a far more competitive, complete fight than the 26-second opener suggested.
Pantoja will look to close distance and put Van on his back early, and if he gets on top his submission chances are real; Van's length, power, and better-than-advertised takedown defense give him the tools to keep this standing and land the cleaner shots over five rounds.
Expect a genuine championship fight this time — a Van decision or a mid-fight TKO is the likeliest outcome, with a Pantoja submission as the live path back to the belt.
The matchup
This is a rematch that the first fight never actually settled.
Van is the longer, harder-hitting striker with real finishing instincts, while Pantoja remains the best all-around grappler in the division and has rarely been troubled by anyone who could out-wrestle him.
Their first meeting lasted 26 seconds and ended on a freak scramble injury rather than anything either man did technically, so the real stylistic question — can Van's power and improving takedown defense hold off Pantoja's chain wrestling and submission threat over five rounds — is still completely open.
Tale of the tape
| 17-2 | Record | 30-6 |
| 24 | Age | 36 |
| 5'5" | Height | 5'5" |
| 65" | Reach | 67" |
| Orthodox | Stance | Orthodox |
| Myanmar | Country | Brazil |
| 4oz Fight Club | Team | American Top Team |
The numbers
Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.
The fighters
Joshua Van 17-2
“The Fearless”
Joshua Van is the reigning UFC flyweight champion and, at just 24, one of the fastest-rising stars in the sport. Born in Hakha, Myanmar and now fighting out of Houston's 4oz Fight Club, he became the first fighter from Myanmar to sign with the UFC and the promotion's first Asian-born male champion. He claimed the belt at UFC 323 when a scramble left Alexandre Pantoja injured just 26 seconds into their first meeting, then made his first defense a statement, stopping Tatsuro Taira in the fifth round at UFC 328. Nine of his 17 pro wins have come by knockout, and he has shown he can grind out rounds as well as finish.
- WTatsuro Taira · KO/TKO (front kick and punches)UFC 328 · May 9, 2026
- WAlexandre Pantoja · KO/TKO (injury stoppage)UFC 323 · December 6, 2025
- WBrandon Royval · Decision (unanimous)UFC 317 · June 28, 2025
Alexandre Pantoja 30-6
“The Cannibal”
Alexandre Pantoja is a former two-time UFC flyweight champion and one of the most accomplished grapplers the division has seen, with 12 of his 30 career wins coming by submission. The 36-year-old Brazilian's reign ended in bizarre fashion at UFC 323 when a scramble injured him just 26 seconds into his first title defense against Joshua Van — the UFC's own medical update called it a dislocated shoulder, though his coaching team later said the actual injury was to his elbow. Before that freak ending he had defended the belt with back-to-back rear-naked choke finishes of Kai Asakura and Kai Kara-France, and he gets an immediate chance to reclaim what he lost.
- LJoshua Van · KO/TKO (injury stoppage)UFC 323 · December 6, 2025
- WKai Kara-France · Submission (rear-naked choke)UFC 317 · June 28, 2025
- WKai Asakura · Submission (rear-naked choke)UFC 310 · December 7, 2024