Joshua Van defends his flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja in a high-stakes rematch headlining UFC 331 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on September 19, 2026. The main card airs live on Paramount+ at 9 p.m. ET, featuring top contenders across multiple divisions.
The Octagon touches down in Los Angeles for UFC 331 at Crypto.com Arena, bringing a packed 12-bout card headlined by Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja. The event delivers high-stakes matchups across the preliminary and main cards, broadcast live on Paramount+.
Flyweight Championship Rematch Shapes the Main Event
Joshua Van enters the main event. Van claimed the men’s flyweight title at UFC 323 last December when Pantoja suffered an injury just 26 seconds into the bout, rendering him unable to continue. Van subsequently defended the 125-pound strap with a fifth-round TKO victory over Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 in May.
Alexandre Pantoja returns to the cage for the first time since that December setback. Prior to the injury, Pantoja held the throne for two-and-a-half years, racking up four successful title defenses against Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura, and Kai Kara-France.
Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy Clash in Lightweight Co-Main Event
The co-main event features a five-round lightweight contest between Arman Tsarukyan and Maurício Ruffy that could determine the division’s next title challenger. Tsarukyan brings a five-fight winning streak into the Octagon, having defeated Dan Hooker via second-round submission in November 2025 following a split-decision win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300. Ruffy enters with momentum after an impressive first-round TKO win over Michael Chandler at UFC Freedom 250 in June.
Early Card Highlights Feature Quick Finishes and Submissions
Action on the preliminary and early preliminary cards kicked off with rapid finishes. Joanderson Brito opened the evening in the featherweight division by stopping Giga Chikadze with ground-and-pound punches at the 1:57 mark of the first round. Brito secured his third victory and celebrated by tossing his shorts into the crowd.
In the women’s flyweight division, No. 12-ranked Casey O’Neill secured a submission victory over Eduarda Moura.
Middleweight Ryan Gandra continued his rapid ascent by overwhelming Ozzy Diaz with a barrage of punches against the fence for a knockout victory at 2:04 of the first round. Gandra has opened his UFC tenure with three straight first-round finishes.
In another middleweight battle, Edmen Shahbazyan earned a unanimous decision victory over Brunno Ferreira, with judges scoring the bout 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27.
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