Joshua Van Shuts Out Pantoja to Retain Flyweight Crown at UFC 331

Joshua Van left zero doubt about who owns the flyweight division on Saturday night. The champion retained his UFC flyweight title with a comprehensive unanimous decision over Alexandre Pantoja in the main event of UFC 331 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, improving to 18-2 while handing Pantoja his seventh career loss.

The scorecards told the story: 49-46, 49-47, and a brutal 50-45, meaning one judge gave Van every single round. Van dictated the pace from the opening bell, chewing up Pantoja with crisp combinations that opened multiple cuts on the Brazilian's face.

Pantoja, who lost the belt to Van in December 2025 after a freak elbow dislocation, came in determined to reclaim it. He showed characteristic heart and stayed competitive throughout, but Van's pressure, improved takedown defense, and ring generalship were simply too much. At one point Van nearly ended matters with a concussive right hook that badly wobbled Pantoja, and later he locked up a kimura from side control that Pantoja barely survived.

"Doubt me now," Van told the crowd afterward, per Sherdog. The message was pointed. Van won the belt under disputed circumstances, and a segment of the MMA community had questioned his legitimacy. That talk should be finished.

Pantoja drops to 30-7 and faces an uncertain path back to a third fight. Van, meanwhile, has cleaned out the division's most dangerous challenger twice and looks like a champion settling in for a long reign.