Van Defends Against Pantoja At UFC 331

Joshua Van defends his flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja in a rematch at UFC 331 on September 19 in Los Angeles. The card, revealed Wednesday, pairs the championship bout with a five-round lightweight collision between Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy in the co-main event.

Pantoja returns after a freak injury ended his title reign in the first fight against Van last December. As MMA Fighting reports, Pantoja fell awkwardly during an exchange and dislocated his shoulder, forcing a stoppage in the opening round. Van claimed the belt and defended it successfully against Tatsuro Taira in May, a fight considered a Fight of the Year candidate.

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Tsarukyan Pivots From Oliveira Rematch To Ruffy

Tsarukyan was initially slated to face BMF titleholder Charles Oliveira in a rematch, per BJPenn.com, but the UFC shifted course. The Armenian lightweight enters on a five-fight winning streak that includes finishes of Beneil Dariush and Dan Hooker. Ruffy brings momentum from back-to-back knockouts of Rafael Fiziev and Michael Chandler earlier this year. The winner likely earns a shot at current champion Justin Gaethje.

The full UFC 331 lineup also includes Renato Moicano versus Brian Ortega, Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson against Sean Sharaf, and Marlon Vera facing Charles Jourdain. Patricio Pitbull, Tai Tuivasa, and Edmen Shahbazyan round out the card at the Intuit Dome.

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Gaethje, who defeated Ilia Topuria at the White House card, has no confirmed return date. Tsarukyan withdrew from a scheduled title fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311, delaying his path to gold. The Van-Pantoja rematch settles any lingering questions about the flyweight championship.

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2, Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy set as full UFC 331 card revealed
• BJPenn — Arman Tsarukyan vs. Charles Oliveira 2 cancelled as Tsarukyan set for new UFC 331 fight