Van set for rematch against Pantoja at UFC 331
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- Joshua Van (17-2) will rematch Alexandre Pantoja (30-6) for the 125-pound title at UFC 331 on Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, five months after a first-round TKO that ended within seconds due to a freak elbow injury Pantoja suffered bracing on the mat.
- Van won the belt in December but the result was "somewhat unsettled" because Pantoja was hurt before any significant striking exchange; Van has since defended once, a May decision over Tatsuro Taira, and pushed for the rematch to silence doubters.
- Arman Tsarukyan (23-3), ranked No. 2 at lightweight and riding a five-fight UFC win streak, will meet No. 7 Mauricio Ruffy (14-2) in the five-round co-main, despite Tsarukyan being widely viewed as the division's most deserving title challenger.
- Tsarukyan has not fought since a November submission of Dan Hooker and pulled out of a scheduled January 2025 title shot against then-champion Islam Makhachev due to back spasms the week of the fight.
- Ruffy, a Brazilian knockout threat with four KOs in five UFC wins, is positioned as one of the division's rising title prospects but steps up eight spots in the rankings to face Tsarukyan rather than get a top contender next.
- The CBS Sports headline frames the card identically — "Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2 set to headline in Los Angeles" — confirming consensus that the rematch, not the lightweight co-main, is the event's draw.
Why it matters: Van gets the chance to validate his December title win that was clouded by Pantoja's freak elbow injury, while Tsarukyan — the lightweight most fans expect to next challenge for the belt — instead takes a non-title fight against a fighter ranked five spots below him, delaying the division's clearest No. 1 contender bout.
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