# Joshua Van Erases All Doubt at UFC 331 as Arman Tsarukyan and Patricio Pitbull Deliver Violent Statements

**By Rosa Delgado**  \nPublished September 20, 2026  \nUpdated September 20, 2026

> Inside Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena, 24-year-old flyweight champion Joshua Van put an end to the narrative surrounding his initial title victory, outclassing Alexandre Pantoja over 25 relentless minutes.

When Joshua Van first seized the UFC flyweight championship last December at UFC 323, his reign was immediately clouded by an asterisk. A bizarre 26-second injury stoppage left former kingpin Alexandre Pantoja sidelined and critics claiming the crown was inherited by accident. On Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, the 24-year-old champion systematically dismantled that argument. Over 25 agonizing minutes, Van turned a contentious rivalry into a definitive statement, defeating Pantoja via unanimous decision to lock down his second official title defense.

## The Flyweight Coronation: How Joshua Van Dismantled a Legend

Pantoja made his intentions clear before the opening bell, refusing to touch gloves and launching a relentless early grappling assault. The 36-year-old Brazilian challenger dragged Van down in the opening minute, advancing to mount and threatening to reset the divisional balance. But Van’s composure under fire defined the main event. Reversing position on the canvas, the young champion made his way back to his feet and began establishing his peerless striking rhythm.

By the second round, the fight shifted permanently toward Van’s range. An accidental headbutt opened a deep cut on Pantoja, which the challenger angrily refused to let a cutman examine between exchanges. Pantoja attempted to impose his trademark wrestling, but Van stuffed four of his first six takedown attempts, responding with sharp jabs, damaging body work, and rapid-fire combinations. When Pantoja did secure back control late in the round, the clock ran out before he could capitalize.

As the championship rounds wore on, Van’s speed differential proved insurmountable. He continuously off-balanced Pantoja with stiff jabs and fluid footwork, leaving the former champion bloody and winded. Van punctuated his dominant performance in the fifth round by dropping Pantoja with a clean strike, sealing an unassailable differential of 140 significant head strikes to Pantoja’s 99. Judges returned cards of 49-46, 49-47, and 50-45 (with secondary ringside reporting noting 48-47 on one card), cementing Van’s record at 18-2 while dropping Pantoja to 30-7.

> A lot of people said that was an accidental win the first time. Now doubt me now. — Joshua Van

Reflecting on Pantoja’s legendary toughness after escaping a tight submission attempt, Van added, Shoutout to Pantoja. Nothing but respect from me.

## Precision At 4:56: Tsarukyan’s Violent Statement in a Packed Lightweight Picture

In the co-main event, No. 2-ranked lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan put on a masterclass in patient brutality against No. 7 Mauricio Ruffy. Fresh off a TKO victory over Michael Chandler at UFC Freedom 250, Ruffy showcased impressive early takedown defense, thwarting Tsarukyan’s initial wrestling entries. However, Tsarukyan (24-3) adjusted his timing late in the opening round.

Changing levels effortlessly, Tsarukyan slice through Ruffy’s guard with a flush elbow that visibly rattled the Brazilian. Recognizing the opening, Tsarukyan followed up with a second thunderous elbow that knocked Ruffy (14-3) unconscious against the canvas at 4:56 of Round 1—just four seconds before the horn. The win marked Tsarukyan's sixth consecutive victory and his first knockout since 2023.

> Of course, for my next fight, for the title fight, I needed that finish, and I knew that I’m gonna finish him. It was a little bit difficult in the first round, but I knew I had five rounds, and my time was going to come. So I was patient. — Arman Tsarukyan

## Twelve-Second Shockwaves and Pitbull’s Definitive Right Hand

The Crypto.com Arena audience witnessed one of the most stunning upsets in UFC heavyweight history when unheralded Sean Sharaf flattened Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson. Steveson (4-1), who was loudly booed by the crowd during his walkout stemming from a 2019 arrest where charges were dropped, was caught immediately. Just 12 seconds into the bout, Sharaf (5-2) unloaded a clean 1-2 combination, landing a vicious left hook that knocked Steveson out cold before referee Frank Trigg stepped in. The 12-second finish tied for the third-fastest knockout in UFC heavyweight history. A defiant Sharaf declared post-fight, I’m not surprised, while Steveson exited the Octagon before the official decision was announced.

Earlier on the main card, 39-year-old former Bellator two-division champion Patricio "Pitbull" Freire captured the most decisive victory of his Octagon campaign. Facing Dooho Choi, Freire (38-9) found his range early, damaging Choi on the feet before dropping "The Korean Superboy" with a pulverizing right hand. Referee Mike Beltran halted the contest at 3:28 of Round 1, giving Pitbull his 13th career first-round finish and his first knockout in the UFC following an April loss to Aaron Pico. Post-fight, Pitbull proclaimed the win his real debut and promptly issued a challenge to Jean Silva.

## Exposed Bone, Waving Flags, and Historic Skids on the Main Card

The main card opener produced a display of raw grit when No. 14 light heavyweight Alonzo Menifield (19-6-1) fought through a gruesome injury to hand Iwo Baraniewski (9-1) his first professional defeat. Menifield suffered a compound break of his left thumb in the opening round, with bone visibly protruding through the skin. Despite a ringside physician examining the hand before the third round, Menifield insisted on fighting, navigating a grueling fence stalemate to earn a split-decision victory (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).

Former bantamweight title contender Marlon "Chito" Vera snapped a painful four-fight losing streak with a vintage third-round TKO over Charles Jourdain at 2:03 of the round. Vera scored three total knockdowns throughout the bout, sealing the fight with a heavy left hand that compelled Jourdain to wave off the contest himself. The defeat marked Jourdain’s first loss since moving down to 135 pounds.

Conversely, Australian heavyweight Tai Tuivasa suffered a grim milestone, dropping a split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) to the returning Robelis Despaigne. Despite wild exchanges in Round 1, Despaigne utilized ground control over the final ten minutes to edge the decision. The loss was Tuivasa’s eighth in a row, matching Tony Ferguson for the longest losing streak in UFC history.

## Undercard Fire: Submissions, Stoppages, and Callouts

**UFC 331 Quick Results Snapshot:**

- **Joshua Van def. Alexandre Pantoja:** Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-47, 50-45)
- **Arman Tsarukyan def. Mauricio Ruffy:** KO (Elbows, R1 4:56)
- **Patricio Freire def. Dooho Choi:** KO (Punches, R1 3:28)
- **Sean Sharaf def. Gable Steveson:** KO (Punches, R1 0:12)
- **Alonzo Menifield def. Iwo Baraniewski:** Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
- **Marlon Vera def. Charles Jourdain:** TKO (R3 2:03)
- **Robelis Despaigne def. Tai Tuivasa:** Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- **Casey O'Neill def. Eduarda Moura:** Submission (Armbar, R1 3:52)
- **Joanderson Brito def. Giga Chikadze:** KO (Ground-and-Pound, R1 1:57)
- **Ryan Gandra def. Ozzy Diaz:** KO (Punches, R1 2:04)The preliminary card delivered rapid-fire finishes across multiple divisions. No. 12-ranked women's flyweight Casey O'Neill pulled off an extraordinary submission reversal against Eduarda Moura, escaping an anaconda choke to secure an armbar victory at 3:52 of Round 1. Middleweight prospect Ryan Gandra needed just 2:04 to overwhelm Ozzy Diaz with punches, securing his third straight first-round finish since his February debut before calling out former champion Israel Adesanya. Joanderson Brito handed Giga Chikadze his fourth consecutive loss, stopping the Georgian via ground-and-pound at 1:57 of the first round.

Rounding out the card, Edmen Shahbazyan picked apart Brunno Ferreira over three rounds for a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27), while Texas featherweight Michael Aswell Jr. outworked JooSang Yoo to claim a tight split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).

## Evidence-Led Forecast: Lightweight Title Horizon and Tactical Matchups

Tsarukyan's emphatic finish over Ruffy injects immediate clarity into the 155-pound title picture. Having secured six straight victories and showcased elite level-changes backed by lethal short-range elbows, Tsarukyan has firmly established himself as the premier contender for undisputed champion Justin Gaethje.

**Likely Tactical Pattern:** Against Gaethje's heavy leg kicks and high-volume Dutch kickboxing, Tsarukyan's path to victory will hinge on disciplined distance management. Rather than forcing direct entries into Gaethje's devastating counter hooks, Tsarukyan will likely employ multi-directional footwork to draw Gaethje forward before shooting level-change takedowns along the fence.

**Decisive Matchup:** Tsarukyan’s top control versus Gaethje’s defensive wall-scrambles. If Tsarukyan can isolate Gaethje’s hips against the cage and integrate the short elbow strikes that finished Ruffy, he will neutralize Gaethje’s power advantage.

**Strongest Counter-Case & Read Shift:** The primary risk to this projection is divisional matchmaking politics. With Ilia Topuria looming for a potential rematch with Gaethje and high-profile matchups involving Paddy Pimblett generating commercial interest, Tsarukyan could be bypassed despite his merit. Furthermore, if Tom Aspinall vacating the heavyweight title (due to eye injury complications) prompts the UFC to reshuffle super-fight scheduling—such as Ciryl Gane’s announced Nov. 14 headliner against Josh Hokit at MSG—the lightweight title timeline could be pushed into early 2027.

## Sources

- [thescore.com](https://www.thescore.com/mma/news/3599619/ufc-331-van-vs-pantoja-2-results-analysis) — original
- [usatoday.com](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ufc/2026/09/19/ufc-331-live-results-fights-van-pantoja-stream--live/91800803007/) — original
- [wral.com](https://www.wral.com/news/ap/233b1-van-silences-doubters-in-pantoja-rematch-as-tsarukyan-pitbull-score-dramatic-ufc-331-finishes/) — original
- [clutchpoints.com](https://clutchpoints.com/ufc/joshua-van-silences-the-doubters-outclasses-alexandre-pantoja-at-ufc-331) — original