​Unfinished business rarely stays quiet in combat sports. At UFC 331, the Octagon lands at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles with the undisputed UFC flyweight championship hanging in the balance. Joshua Van defends his 125-pound crown against former kingpin Alexandre Pantoja in a clash that must settle what the history books left unresolved.

​Their initial meeting at UFC 323 concluded in just 26 seconds after an arm injury forced Pantoja out, crowning Van under anomalous circumstances. Nine months later, the division demands closure. Van proved his mettle by turning back elite challenger Tatsuro Taira in a grueling fifth-round war, validating his championship mettle. Pantoja returns healthy, focused, and intent on reclaiming the throne he dominated for years.

​Fighter Spotlight: Joshua Van

​Joshua “Fearless” Van did not take the comfortable road to gold. Arriving from Myanmar and sharpening his craft on the hyper-competitive Texas regional circuit with Fury FC, Van brought a ferocious volume-striking system into the UFC.

​He does not pick his shots from the perimeter; he walks opponents down behind tight high guards, relentless forward pressure, and exceptional body work. Landing more than eight significant strikes per minute over his UFC tenure, Van sets an exhausting pace that breaks defensive structures.

​His fifth-round technical knockout of Tatsuro Taira highlighted his mental resolve. Van survived high-level submission threats, recalibrated his takedown defense, and methodically chopped down a towering grappler with front kicks and blistering pocket combinations. At 24 years old, the champion holds both youth and momentum.

​Fighter Spotlight: Alexandre Pantoja

​Few champions have ever matched the feral, suffocating intensity of Alexandre “The Cannibal” Pantoja. A fixture of the flyweight elite for nearly a decade, Pantoja fought his way through every generational wave the division offered, turning back Brandon Moreno, Brandon Royval, and Kai Kara-France during a dominant title reign.

​Pantoja fights like a man possessed. He closes distance with reckless disregard for oncoming fire, willing to eat clean shots if it allows him to secure double underhooks or initiate a dogfight against the fence.

​Once the fight hits the canvas, Pantoja is lethal. His back takes are instantaneous, hunting chokes with vice-grip hand-fighting and relentless hip control. For Pantoja, UFC 331 is not about regaining prestige—it is about restoring his division’s natural order.

​Technical Breakdown: Mechanics in the Pocket vs. Mat Chaos

​Stylistically, this rematch presents a collision of two distinct forward-pressure paradigms.

The Striking Dynamic: Shot Selection vs. Wild Flurries

​Van operates with superior mechanics in tight spaces. His short hooks, uppercuts inside the phone booth, and punishing liver digs interrupt rhythm. He stays compact, resets his stance quickly, and punishes over-extension.

​Pantoja attacks with looped power shots, hard low kicks, and blitzing straight rights meant to create panic. If Pantoja charges on straight lines without setting up entries, Van’s check hooks and tight counters will find the mark. If Pantoja clips Van early and forces a wild brawl, the veteran’s granite chin and chaos tolerance give him an edge.

​The Grappling Exchange: Cage Stifling vs. Scramble Traps

​Van showed vast defensive improvements against Taira, displaying active underhooks, heavy hips, and calm posture inside the guard.

​Pantoja poses a vastly different threat. He does not rely on traditional folkstyle rides or static control. Pantoja scrambles violently, attacks the neck immediately during transitions, and climbs the back off failed takedowns. Van cannot afford to relax for a second when breaking off the fence; Pantoja latches onto limbs and necks in the micro-transitions where most fighters look to breathe.

​Keys to Victory

​Joshua Van

• ​Target the Midsection: Dig hard left hooks to the liver and straight front kicks to sap Pantoja’s stamina across the championship rounds.
• ​Maintain Defensive Shelling: Keep the guard tight during Pantoja’s initial blitzes, avoiding wide hooks that open paths for level-changes.
• ​Control the Center: Refuse to yield backward steps. Force Pantoja to shoot from distance rather than initiating transitions along the fence.

​Alexandre Pantoja

• ​Chain-Wrestle Immediately: Disguise level-changes behind overhand rights to bypass Van’s boxing guard and pull the fight into grappling territory.
• ​Capitalize on Scrambles: Attack the back instantly the moment Van posts a hand or hip-escapes off the canvas.
• ​Disrupt Rhythm with Low Kicks: Attack Van’s lead calf early to limit the champion’s lateral footwork and pocket balance.

​UFC 331 Main Event Closing Thoughts

​UFC 331 brings the clarity the flyweight division has needed all year. Joshua Van wants to prove his title reign is built on elite, modern fighting skill rather than good fortune. Alexandre Pantoja wants to prove that the belt never truly belonged anywhere else. When the cage door shuts in Los Angeles, there will be no room left for asterisks.