​The Octagon rolls into Los Angeles at the Crypto.com Arena for UFC 331, bringing a televised preliminary card built on high-stakes violence and technical inflection points. While the pay-per-view spotlight shines on championship gold later in the night, the preliminary slate features blue-chip heavyweight prospects, proven bantamweight contenders, and heavy-handed sluggers fighting to secure their standing in crowded divisions.These preliminary matchups offer pure stylistic friction.

​Bantamweight: Marlon Vera vs. Charles Jourdain

​A high-stakes bantamweight scrap pairs veteran finisher Marlon “Chito” Vera against French-Canadian dynamo Charles Jourdain. Vera’s game is built on patience, high-guard defense, and attritional damage. He is a slow starter who downloads data before firing fight-ending front kicks and heavy counters. Jourdain operates on the exact opposite spectrum. He relies on chaotic volume, switch-stance kickboxing, and unpredictable angles that force opponents to constantly recalibrate their timing.

​Jourdain’s biggest hurdle will be Vera’s stone-faced guard and check left hook. If Jourdain enters with straight, predictable blitzes, Vera will slide off the centerline and exploit the gaps with sharp elbows and thudding calf kicks. For Jourdain to control the flow, he must attack Vera’s body in combination, never throwing naked low kicks that Vera can check or counter over the top. Vera needs to step up his first-round output; conceding early territory against an active volume-striker like Jourdain forces unnecessary deficit climbing.

​Keys to Victory

• ​Vera: Disrupt Jourdain’s bounce early with outside calf kicks; trap him along the fence with tight cage-cutting footwork.
• ​Jourdain: Target Vera’s midsection with shifting combinations; avoid staying in the pocket after throwing multi-strike flurries.

​Heavyweight: Tai Tuivasa vs. Robelis Despaigne

​Tai Tuivasa and Olympic taekwondo medalist Robelis Despaigne collide in a heavyweight matchup that rarely sees the judges’ scorecards. Despaigne holds an enormous reach advantage and owns legitimate one-strike knockout power at kick range. He throws long front kicks, spinning attacks, and straight right hands down the pipe. However, his linear movement patterns can leave him vulnerable when pressured against the fence.

​Tuivasa cannot fight this bout at kickboxing range. Operating at Despaigne’s preferred kicking distance is a death sentence. The Australian must bite down on his mouthpiece, cut off the Octagon, and bully Despaigne into tight telephone-booth range. In the clinch, Tuivasa’s dirty boxing, short elbows, and collar-tie control will exploit Despaigne’s developmental grappling defense. If Tuivasa closes the gap without absorbing a straight counter, his short-range hooks will test Despaigne’s defensive discipline under fire.

​Keys to Victory

• ​Tuivasa: Close the distance behind feints and level-change threats; initiate dirty boxing along the fence to strip Despaigne’s punching base.
• ​Despaigne: Plant the front teep into Tuivasa’s sternum; circle away from Tuivasa’s power hand while framing on entry.

​Featherweight: Michael Aswell Jr. vs. JooSang Yoo

​Fast-paced technical featherweights Michael Aswell Jr. and JooSang Yoo square off in a clash dictated by pacing and positional transitions. Aswell is an active, modern mixed martial artist who strings together long boxing combinations into reactive double-legs. Yoo responds with aggressive counter-grappling, scrambling, and an explosive rear-hand straight that he detonates as opponents step forward.

​Aswell’s primary task is lateral movement. Moving in straight lines allows Yoo to time his power right hand over the jab. Aswell must commit to feinting low, forcing Yoo to react defensively, before landing 1-2 combinations upstairs and transitioning smoothly to mat returns along the fence. Yoo needs to test Aswell’s cardio by aggressively contesting underhooks and forcing high-energy scrambles early. The fighter who controls the center of the cage will dictate whether this fight stays an open-space kickboxing match or turns into a suffocating chain-wrestling contest.

​Keys to Victory

• ​Aswell Jr.: Feint the level change to drop Yoo’s hands; string striking combinations directly into cage-pressuring double legs.
• ​Yoo: Time Aswell’s linear entries with an intercepting straight right; establish an active scramble game to deny grounded control.

​The UFC 331 preliminary card offers zero downtime. From blue-chip prospects refining their championship pedigree to veteran brawlers battling for positional survival, every bout on this Los Angeles slate carries immediate divisional consequences.