Van Predicts Third-Round Finish Of Pantoja At UFC 331

Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja have both predicted finishes when they meet in their flyweight title rematch at UFC 331 on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Van, the reigning champion, told Full Send MMA he plans to stop the former titleholder inside three rounds after identifying a weakness in Pantoja's game. "We've studied him and seen a little hole that he has in his game that we are gonna capitalize on," the 24-year-old said. "There's a couple of things I can't speak on, but it's going to be done within three rounds." Van added that he is not concerned about Pantoja's grappling threat and could even look for a submission himself, pointing to his recent performance against Tatsuro Taira as proof he is comfortable on the mat.

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Pantoja's Camp Sees Fourth-Round Stoppage

Pantoja's muay thai coach at American Top Team, Anderson Franca, told Sherdog he expects a fourth-round finish for the Brazilian. Franca said Pantoja has prepared surprises for the rematch and believes Van will try to keep the fight standing out of respect for Pantoja's ground game. "Pantoja can surprise him on the feet as well," Franca said, per Sherdog. "This was a particularly good training camp. Parrumpa really pushed his conditioning so he would be able to go hard for all five rounds if necessary."

The tone heading into fight week has shifted from their first meeting. Pantoja told Full Send MMA that he is skipping the promotional duties this time around. "I don't try to sell this fight anymore; I'm here to fight," he said. "I'm not here for the press conference; I'm here for Saturday night. My mind is only focused on Saturday." The rematch announcement featured sharper words from Van at a press conference, which Pantoja reportedly took as disrespect.

🎟️ Get tickets: Buy tickets to Crypto.com UFC 331 on Ticketmaster →

UFC 331 takes place Saturday with Van defending the 125-pound title he captured from Pantoja earlier this year. Both fighters enter on short notice after their original date was moved up.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Alexandre Pantoja isn't interested in selling Joshua Van rematch
• Sherdog — Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2: Both predict UFC 331 finishes