2026 UFC event schedule: Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2, Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong on tap — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Joshua Van defends the UFC flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331 on Saturday in Los Angeles, in a rematch born from Van winning the belt via a seconds-long injury stoppage over Pantoja.
- Alexandre Pantoja, described as arguably the second-best flyweight ever, has voiced outrage at feeling overlooked and aims to reclaim a title he insists he never truly lost in real combat.
- Arman Tsarukyan faces knockout artist Mauricio Ruffy on the UFC 331 main card, with a lightweight title shot reportedly on the line for the winner.
- UFC 331 also books Patricio Pitbull vs. Doo Ho Choi, Renato Moicano vs. Brian Ortega, and Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski on the main card, while prelims feature Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson's second pro fight and Marlon "Chito" Vera vs. Charles Jourdain.
- UFC 332 lands in Salt Lake City two weeks later, headlined by Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong for the vacant women's flyweight championship after Valentina Shevchenko relinquished the belt due to injury.
- Wang Cong carries historical baggage with Shevchenko, having defeated "Bullet" in a kickboxing bout more than a decade ago, a wrinkle that frames the title Shevchenko left behind.
Why it matters: The Van-Pantoja rematch settles a legitimacy question hanging over the flyweight division — Pantoja lost the belt via a seconds-long injury stoppage and never conceded it in actual combat, so Van has yet to face a fully healthy challenger. Stacking two numbered events two weeks apart signals UFC is front-loading 2026 with title-fight inventory rather than spacing it out.
Ask SkimNews
