{"id":847677,"date":"2026-08-06T02:24:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T02:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/847677\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T02:24:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T02:24:13","slug":"ufc-331-fight-card-revealed-van-vs-pantoja-2-set","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/847677\/","title":{"rendered":"UFC 331 Fight Card Revealed: Van Vs. Pantoja 2 Set"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">A rematch is on tap for Cali.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is headed back to Crypto.com Arena \u2014 a.k.a. Staples Center \u2014 in Los Angeles, California, for UFC 331 on Sat., Sept. 19, 2026, and the promotion is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mmamania.com\/ufc-news\/462575\/ufc-331-gable-steveson-vs-sean-sharaf-robelis-despaigne-vs-tai-tuivasa\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">bringing a pretty loaded card<\/a> with it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">In the main event, UFC Flyweight champion Joshua Van runs it back with longtime champion Alexandre Pantoja after their first encounter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mmamania.com\/ufc-323-fight-card-start-time-live-results-merab-vs-yan-2-mma\/407750\/watch-ufc-323-video-highlights-results-espn-ppv-las-vegas-pantoja-van-broken-arm-tko\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ended in an awful injury<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"_19lkh3w1\" href=\"https:\/\/platform.mmamania.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/110\/2026\/08\/gettyimages-2250450879.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,0,100,100\" data-pswp-height=\"4413\" data-pswp-width=\"6620\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\"><img alt=\"LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 06: (L-R) Joshua Van of Myanmar trades punches with Alexandre Pantoja of Brazil in the UFC flyweight championship fight during the UFC 323 event at T-Mobile Arena on December 06, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC)\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"_8s7ip80\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'\/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'\/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'\/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'\/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3C\/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E&quot;)\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gettyimages-2250450879.jpg\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>LAS VEGAS, NEVADA &#8211; DECEMBER 06: (L-R) Joshua Van of Myanmar trades punches with Alexandre Pantoja of Brazil in the UFC flyweight championship fight during the UFC 323 event at T-Mobile Arena on December 06, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Pantoja and Van collided in the co-main event of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mmamania.com\/ufc-323-fight-card-start-time-live-results-merab-vs-yan-2-mma\/405914\/ufc-323-results-highlights-play-by-play-merab-vs-yan-2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">UFC 323<\/a>, but the fight lasted only 26 seconds after then-champion Pantoja <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mmamania.com\/ufc-323-fight-card-start-time-live-results-merab-vs-yan-2-mma\/408267\/alexandre-pantoja-reacts-to-gnarly-injury-that-cost-him-his-title-at-ufc-323-ill-be-back-sooner-than-you-think\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">dislocated his elbow<\/a> and Van became champion in one of the most unfortunate title changes in recent memory.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Since then, Van (17-2) has defended the Flyweight title once, doing so at UFC 328 when he knocked out Tatsuro Taira in the fifth round (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mmamania.com\/ufc-328-live-stream-fight-card-start-time-how-to-watch\/442763\/watch-ufc-328-video-highlights-van-knockout-taira-paramount-results\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">watch highlights<\/a>). Van is riding a seven-fight win streak, with three of those wins coming by finish and two of those fights being considered \u201cFight of the Year\u201d contenders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Meanwhile, Pantoja (30-6) has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mmamania.com\/ufc-news\/432896\/alexandre-pantoja-reveals-he-could-have-returned-from-grisly-arm-injury-at-ufc-327\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">obviously been rehabbing and recovering from the injury<\/a> that cost him his title. Prior to losing the belt in devastating fashion, the Brazilian had rattled off eight straight wins, which included winning the Flyweight championship and defending it four times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Now, Pantoja gets the chance to win back the belt he never really lost in a fight.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"_19lkh3w1\" href=\"https:\/\/platform.mmamania.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/110\/2025\/11\/gettyimages-2247797919.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,0,100,100\" data-pswp-height=\"3638\" data-pswp-width=\"5457\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\"><img alt=\"DOHA, QATAR - NOVEMBER 21: Arman Tsarukyan of Georgia poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at ABHA Arena on November 21, 2025 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"_8s7ip80\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'\/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'\/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'\/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'\/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3C\/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E&quot;)\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gettyimages-2247797919.jpg\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>DOHA, QATAR &#8211; NOVEMBER 21: Arman Tsarukyan of Georgia poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at ABHA Arena on November 21, 2025 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Tsarukyan (23-3) last competed inside the Octagon in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mmamania.com\/ufc-results\/403986\/ufc-qatar-live-results-highlights-play-by-play-tsarukyan-vs-hooker\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">UFC Qatar<\/a>\u2019s main event, demolishing Dan Hooker in two rounds (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mmamania.com\/ufc-espn-fight-night-events-schedule-mma\/405249\/watch-ufc-qatar-video-highlights-espn-results-mma-tsarukyan-submission-hooker-topuria\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">watch highlights<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">So, naturally, after all of that, Tsarukyan gets a dangerous, surging knockout artist instead of a title fight.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Ruffy (14-2) was last in action at UFC Freedom 250, where he absolutely demolished former UFC title challenger Michael Chandler, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mmamania.com\/latest-news\/450706\/highlights-spinning-mauricio-ruffy-demolishes-spiraling-michael-chandler-with-sad-first-round-knockout-ufc-freedom-250\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">knocking him out in the first round<\/a>. Before that, Ruffy stopped Rafael Fiziev at UFC 325 four months prior (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mmamania.com\/ufc-325-results-volkanovski-lopes-2\/418972\/watch-ufc-325-video-highlights-results-paramount-mma-australia-ruffy-knockout-fiziev\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">watch highlights<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">UFC 331 is shaping up to be one of the most interesting cards of the fall, with Van and Pantoja settling unfinished business at the top, and Tsarukyan trying to avoid disaster against one of the scariest rising Lightweights in the sport.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Welcome back to Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">For more information on UFC 331, click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mmamania.com\/ufc-news\/462575\/ufc-331-gable-steveson-vs-sean-sharaf-robelis-despaigne-vs-tai-tuivasa\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A rematch is on tap for Cali. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is headed back to Crypto.com Arena \u2014&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":847678,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[444],"tags":[49,48,641,33601,638,82,49483,139445,702,4454],"class_list":["post-847677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-fighting","tag-latest-ufc-mma-news","tag-mma","tag-sports","tag-ufc-fight-announcements","tag-ufc-on-paramount","tag-ufc-news","tag-upcoming-ufc-events"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=847677"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847677\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/847678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=847677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=847677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=847677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}