UFC 331 fight card predictions: Expert picks, odds for Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja in Los Angeles — SkimNews
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- Joshua Van defends his flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331 in Los Angeles, a rematch of their December bout that ended in 26 seconds when Pantoja dislocated his elbow, with Van listed as a -135 favorite.
- Arman Tsarukyan returns to the Octagon in the co-main against Mauricio Ruffy (-305) after withdrawing from a January 2025 lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev due to a weight-cut injury, more than 20 months ago.
- CBS Sports experts split on the main event: Brian Campbell and Shakiel Mahjouri back underdog Pantoja (+114), while Brent Brookhouse picks Van, with Mahjouri comparing a potential Pantoja win to Conor McGregor's 2015 knockout of Jose Aldo.
- All three experts predicting the co-main pick Tsarukyan to finish Ruffy, pointing to Ruffy's grappling deficiencies exposed in a 2025 loss to Benoit Saint Denis — though Brookhouse expects the stoppage in the second half rather than early.
- Dooho Choi (-285) faces Bellator two-division champion Patricio Pitbull (+215) in a featherweight bout, with Choi on a three-fight TKO streak and Pitbull, 39, coming off a loss to Aaron Pico.
- Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson is a -2100 heavyweight favorite over prospect Sean Sharaf (+1100), while light heavyweight Iwo Baraniewski (-250) meets Alonzo Menifield (+205) in the main-card opener.
- Odds are sourced from DraftKings Sportsbook as of September 18, with UFC 331 streaming on Paramount+ as part of its subscription starting at $8.99/month.
Why it matters: A Tsarukyan finish over Ruffy would likely secure his long-awaited lightweight title shot — a path stalled since January 2025 — while Van-Pantoja 2 tests whether Pantoja can reclaim the flyweight crown at 36 after losing it to injury, or whether Van cements himself as a generational champion.
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