UFC officials confirmed on Thursday that a high-stakes flyweight title rematch between champion Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja will headline UFC 331. The event is scheduled for Saturday, September 19, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
The rivalry stems from their previous encounter at UFC 323 in Las Vegas, which ended in a controversial 26-second stoppage. Pantoja (30-6), the former champion, suffered a dislocated elbow after falling to the mat when Van (17-2) caught a kick. That victory made the 24-year-old Van one of the youngest champions in UFC history, snapping Pantoja’s eight-fight winning streak and four successful title defenses.
Since that bout, Van has solidified his standing by successfully defending his title at UFC 328 with a fifth-round knockout of Tatsuro Taira, extending his current win streak to seven. Meanwhile, Pantoja has spent the intervening months undergoing rehabilitation for his injury, setting the stage for this inevitable rematch. According to DraftKings, Pantoja enters the bout as a slight -120 favorite, while Van is listed as a +100 underdog.
The co-main event features a compelling lightweight clash between Arman Tsarukyan and the surging Mauricio Ruffy. Tsarukyan (23-3), who has been competing in the Real American Freestyle promotion, returns to the Octagon for the first time since his November 2022 victory over Dan Hooker at Qatar UFC. The Armenian fighter is looking to climb back into title contention following an injury that forced him to withdraw from a scheduled bout against Islam Makhachev in January 2025.
Tsarukyan will be tested by the dangerous Ruffy (14-2), who is coming off a statement first-round knockout of Michael Chandler at UFC Freedom 250 this past June. The card also features additional matchups, including Alonzo Menifield against Iwo Baraniewski and Edmen Shahbazyan facing Brunno Ferreira.
Broadcast coverage for UFC 331 is extensive, with the event streaming live on Paramount+ in the United States, TNT Sports in the UK, Foxtel/Kayo in Australia, Sportsnet+ in Canada, and via UFC Fight Pass for global audiences.
The event schedule begins with early prelims at 5pm ET (21:00 GMT), followed by the preliminary card at 7pm ET (23:00 GMT). The main card is slated to commence at 9pm ET (01:00 GMT on Sunday).
While Tsarukyan (23-3) has been wrestling in the Real American Freestyle promotion recently, he last fought in the Octagon in November 2022 at Qatar UFC, when he beat Dan Hooker in the second round with an arm-triangle c
