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Brett Okamoto
Multiple Authors
LOS ANGELES — Ten months after securing a victory in their initial encounter, UFC flyweight kingpin Joshua Van repeated the feat by defeating Alexandre Pantoja once again in their highly anticipated rematch.
At Saturday’s UFC 331 headliner held inside the Crypto.com Arena, Van (18-2) successfully retained his 125-pound crown, putting on a dominant display against Pantoja (30-7) over five rounds to earn unanimous decision nods of 50-45, 49-46, and 49-47. This decisive performance resolved any lingering controversies from their previous clash, where Van secured a 26-second TKO victory following an awkward fall that caused Pantoja to dislocate his elbow.
“Never allow your background to dictate your future,” declared the 24-year-old champion Van, who originally hails from Myanmar and later relocated to the United States. “So many critics dismissed my first win as a fluke. Let’s see what they have to say now.”
UFC CEO Dana White reported that Saturday’s card pulled in a capacity crowd of 19,357 spectators, generating a massive live gate of $8.3 million. This total established a fresh record for the Crypto.com Arena, surpassing the prior high of $6.5 million set during a Bad Bunny concert in March 2024.
“He is an absolute blessing for this [flyweight] category,” White remarked regarding Van. “He injects pure energy, flair, and entertainment into this division. It was an incredible spectacle. I was completely shocked when I realized we were already in the fifth frame. It’s awesome when a five-round matchup flows that fast.”
The next logical challenger for Van’s championship appears to be Angola’s Manel Kape (23-7), who currently boasts a four-fight winning streak with every single one of those victories coming via knockout.
The 36-year-old Pantoja had already established his legacy as one of history’s premier flyweights before his first encounter with Van. The Brazilian warrior had registered four successful title defenses prior to his ill-fated injury in December, spending the past year in rehabilitation and training to redeem himself on Saturday night. He maintained an aggressive posture from start to finish, constantly pressing forward with combinations and executing takedown attempts.
Van neutralized Pantoja’s forward pressure with impressive composure. Official UFC Stats indicated that he turned away 13 of Pantoja’s 18 takedown efforts while outstriking his opponent by a margin of 259 to 152. Whenever Pantoja managed to secure a dominant position on the mat, Van remained unflustered, systematically defending and even threatening the submission wizard with a leg lock later in the bout.
“Full credit to Pantoja; I hold him in high regard,” Van expressed. “The guy is incredibly resilient. I thought I had him with my submission attempt; I honestly have no idea how he managed to slip out of that. I simply wanted to make another statement tonight.”
While the scorecards ultimately showed a clear victory for Van, the outcome still felt up in the air heading into the final frame. Van saved his finest execution for those final five minutes, masterfully controlling the distance on the feet and putting Pantoja on the canvas with a sharp right hand halfway through the round.
This win marks Van’s second successful championship defense of the calendar year. Previously, he stopped Japanese challenger Tatsuro Taira in the fifth round during their thrilling Fight of the Night clash at UFC 328 back in May.
