Van and Pantoja Settle Flyweight Title Rematch at UFC 331

UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van will defend his title against former champion Alexandre Pantoja in a highly anticipated rematch at UFC 331 on Saturday, September 19, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The main event seeks to settle a question left unanswered by their first encounter at UFC 323 in December, where Pantoja suffered an arm injury just 26 seconds into the fight, resulting in a technical knockout victory for Van. Van enters the rematch with a 17-2 record and a successful first title defense under his belt, having stopped Tatsuro Taira in the fifth round at UFC 328. The 24-year-old champion has expressed confidence in finishing the fight early. "I'm definitely gonna finish him inside three rounds," Van said. "Either a submission or knockout but I'm leaning towards a knockout." Pantoja, ranked as the division's top contender with a 30-6 record, is focused solely on reclaiming the championship he never lost in a conventional fight. "I don't try to sell this fight anymore. I'm here to fight," Pantoja stated. "My mind is only focused on Saturday.