UFC 331 Predictions: Can Pantoja Avenge the Injury That Cost Him the Flyweight Belt?

Twenty-six seconds. That’s all it took for Alexandre Pantoja to lose the UFC flyweight championship at UFC 323 — not to a superior performance across five rounds, but to an arm injury sustained in the opening exchange. Joshua Van was champion. Pantoja was in the locker room. September 19 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Pantoja gets his rematch.

Van vs. Pantoja 2 headlines UFC 331. The card is loaded. And the rematch has a narrative that doesn’t need any dressing up.

Here’s the thing about a 26-second fight: nobody knows what would have happened. Van got the finish. That’s real. But Pantoja never got to implement his game — the wrestling pressure, the relentless pace, the timing he built over years of championship-level competition. That unfinished business is why this rematch exists, and why it’s genuinely compelling rather than a routine title defense.

What Actually Happened in the 26-Second UFC 323 Fight

Alexandre Pantoja suffered an arm injury 26 seconds into the first round of his title fight against Joshua Van at UFC 323, and referee saw enough to stop the contest. Van became UFC flyweight champion in one of the fastest title changes in divisional history.

The circumstances matter. This wasn’t a knockout where Pantoja hit the canvas unconscious. It was an injury stoppage — Pantoja’s arm gave out before the fight found its rhythm. Some fans watched UFC 323 and came away thinking: we still don’t know what Van can actually do against a healthy version of Pantoja.

That ambiguity is the engine driving UFC 331’s main event. Van has every right to call himself champion — he was in the Octagon, he was fighting, the referee made the right call. But the story isn’t finished. September 19 is the actual rematch between these two fighters.

Watch the walkouts. Watch Pantoja’s body language. He didn’t lose that fight in the way he’s used to losing — he lost to an injury, and anyone who knows his career knows that is not how he sees himself going out. He’s going to come in hot.

Why Joshua Van Is a Legitimate Champion, Not a Lucky One

Joshua Van became flyweight champion in 26 seconds. It’s easy to dismiss that. His record and style argue against dismissing it.

Van is a long, technical striker who uses his reach intelligently. He doesn’t brawl. He sets up his power shots behind a persistent jab, controls distance better than most flyweights his age, and — critically — he’s been in pressure situations before and found solutions. His performance at UFC 323, brief as it was, showed elite finishing instinct. When Pantoja was compromised, Van was already throwing, already applying pressure. He didn’t freeze.

He’s also young and improving. That combination — technical foundation plus upward trajectory — is what separates fighters who hold a belt for a year from ones who build a run. Van has the tools for the latter.

The unanswered question is his durability under sustained grappling pressure. Pantoja is one of the best wrestling-heavy flyweights on the roster, and Van has not faced that yet at championship level. His chin is untested because he controls distance well enough that opponents rarely land clean. What happens when Pantoja takes away that distance? September 19 is the answer.

Alexandre Pantoja’s Blueprint for Winning the Rematch

Alexandre Pantoja’s path back to the flyweight title runs through his wrestling — and specifically, through using it in the first sixty seconds of round one.

Pantoja built his entire championship run on pressure wrestling. He came forward in waves, mixed his striking with constant takedown threats, and made opponents fight on the back foot. Nobody was comfortable against him during his title reign — not Royval, not Albazi, not Erceg. He made those fights his fights.

At UFC 323, the injury happened before any of that could exist. This created a distorted picture: the champion looks like he couldn’t handle Van, when in reality the fight ended before Pantoja implemented anything. The rematch is Pantoja’s chance to correct the record through performance.

The specific adjustment is straightforward to describe and requires real courage to execute: shoot early. Don’t let Van establish the jab. Get to the mat before the champion’s footwork and range-management can become factors. Pantoja’s takedown game is genuinely elite — Van has to be aware of it, and that awareness is itself a weapon. Even if Pantoja doesn’t complete every takedown, forcing Van to defend wrestling changes the entire dynamic of the striking exchanges.

If Pantoja comes in with wrestling-first intent and he’s healthy, this is a completely different fight than UFC 323. If he stands flat-footed and lets Van set the range, the finish comes the same way again — injury or not.

Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy: The Lightweight Co-Main Delivers a Title Eliminator

Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy meet in the UFC 331 co-main event, with the winner poised for a shot at Justin Gaethje’s lightweight title. This fight has genuine stakes and a legitimate case for being the night’s best action bout.

Tsarukyan has been in every hard fight the lightweight division has offered — Makhachev, Oliveira, Gaethje, Hooker. He absorbs experience differently than most fighters. Wars don’t scar him; they seem to teach him. He knows when he’s hurt, when to clinch, when to survive, and when to turn the pressure back on. That veterans’ intelligence is invaluable in a fight with a guy like Ruffy who wants to finish things early.

Ruffy is explosive, athletic, and legitimately dangerous. His TKO of Michael Chandler was not a one-shot fluke — he pressed Chandler with smart aggression and didn’t let him breathe. He’s exactly the kind of opponent who can catch Tsarukyan with something if the fight stays in close range for too long.

The problem for Ruffy is the experience gap. Tsarukyan has been through wars that Ruffy hasn’t seen yet. When the co-main event reaches the championship rounds, Tsarukyan has the template. Ruffy is discovering it in real time.

Pick: Tsarukyan by decision in a Fight of the Night candidate.

Three More UFC 331 Fights Worth Your Attention

The undercard has enough to keep the night interesting from the first prelim to the main event.

Patricio Pitbull vs. Dooho Choi (featherweight) — Pitbull is one of the most accomplished fighters in MMA history who never got the recognition his career deserves. Former Bellator featherweight and lightweight champion, sharp technique, finishing ability across multiple positions. Choi is fast, aggressive, and has zero interest in boring decisions. These two styles together is a fan-friendly match with a high probability of ending before the scorecards.

Renato Moicano (lightweight) — Moicano has rebuilt himself into a legitimate top-ten lightweight who’s interesting to watch and dangerous in multiple phases. His result on this card will either push him into the title conversation or knock him back. Keep an eye on who he beats and how, because it shapes the post-UFC 331 lightweight rankings picture.

Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski (light heavyweight) — Menifield opens the main card and he punches people very hard. Short career advice: don’t stand in front of Alonzo Menifield and let him throw.

UFC 331 Predictions and Final Picks

Van vs. Pantoja 2: This is a 50/50 fight on paper. The edge goes to Pantoja — conditionally. If he brings his wrestling early and often, he has the tools to control this fight over five rounds and win by decision or late stoppage. If he lets Van dictate the range on the feet, the champion wins again. The emotional and tactical motivation to wrestle is higher for Pantoja than for any fight in his career.

Pick: Alexandre Pantoja by decision, rounds 4-5 dominant.

If you’re managing your own stable in TKO Tycoon, UFC 331 is a clinic on how range, reach, and wrestling intersect at flyweight. The fighters who win that division aren’t always the biggest punchers — they’re the ones who dictate where the fight happens. Build your 125-pound roster with athletes who can take the fight to the mat on demand. That’s what Pantoja does, and it’s what wins title fights.

For context on how the lightweight and flyweight divisions have evolved in 2026, check our breakdown of the UFC 330 results from last weekend — Makhachev’s performance there reshapes how the lightweight picture looks ahead of Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy.

Frequently Asked Questions About UFC 331

When is UFC 331 Van vs. Pantoja 2?

UFC 331 takes place September 19, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The main card begins at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on pay-per-view.

Why is Alexandre Pantoja getting a rematch so quickly?

Pantoja lost the flyweight title due to an arm injury 26 seconds into round one at UFC 323. Because the fight ended without him being able to compete in a full bout, the UFC granted an immediate rematch. He holds a strong case as the No. 1 contender regardless.

Who is Mauricio Ruffy fighting at UFC 331?

Mauricio Ruffy faces Arman Tsarukyan in the co-main event. It’s a lightweight title eliminator — the winner likely earns a shot at Justin Gaethje’s 155-pound belt.

Has Joshua Van defended the flyweight title before?

Van won the title at UFC 323 and faces his first high-profile test in a full rematch at UFC 331. His reign as champion has been short, making the Pantoja rematch his defining moment so far.

Play the game. Build the champion. Train your fighters, manage your gym, and compete for belts in TKO Tycoon — the in-browser boxing management game where strategy is everything.

References

1. UFC 331 – Wikipedia — Full card details and event background
2. UFC 331 – Sherdog — Fight card and fighter records
3. UFC 331 Fight Card — Yahoo Sports — Card breakdown and schedule
4. UFC 331 Card Analysis — Forbes — Card quality assessment

Image credit: rotowire.com