More UFC 331 news had been announced by the UFC, including the card’s flyweight main event.
After announcing several fights Wednesday morning, promotion officials later revealed that a flyweight title fight rematch would headline the Los Angeles based card this September. That fight will see current 125lb champ Joshua Van (17-2) face off against the returning Alexandre Pantoja (30-6).
In addition, lightweight Arman Tsarukyan (23-3) will face Mauricio Ruffy (14-2) in a five-round co-main event. Tsarukyan had been heavily rumored to face “BMF” champ Charles Oliveira next, but that fight has not come to pass, a fact that may be linked to Oliveira’s teammate, Allan Nascimento, recently passing away.
Van defeated Pantoja back in December at UFC 323 to claim flyweight gold, but the win came with an asterisk given the Brazilian went down due to an arm injury. Since then, Van has defended the belt against Tatsuro Taira, extending his win streak to an impressive seven straight victories.
Pantoja, for obvious reasons, has not competed since. “The Cannibal” had made four successful defenses of his flyweight crown prior to meeting Josh Van last December.
As for Ruffy, he’s won two straight, with victories over Benoit Saint-Denis and Michael Chandler, the latter coming at the White House in June. Tsarukyan, meanwhile, is another matter. After pulling out of a title fight against Islam Makhachev in January 2025 the day before the fight, he’s become better known for his actions outside the UFC than in it. In fact he’s fought just once since, beating Dan Hooker last November.
Instead, he’s been busy wrestling for Real American Freestyle, getting escorted off planes, out of the Rousey-Carano fight, and generally becoming a nuisance. However, Tsarukyan remains a top contender in the lightweight division, and another win could get him back to the title, currently held by Justin Gaethje.
UFC 331 takes place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA on September 19, 2026.
