Joshua Van Dominates Alexandre Pantoja in UFC 331 Rematch

Joshua Van didn’t just keep his flyweight title in Los Angeles. He took the lingering asterisk from their first meeting, ripped it up and threw it out of the cage.

The 24-year-old champion from Myanmar produced a composed, ruthless performance to defeat Alexandre Pantoja over five rounds at UFC 331, settling their rivalry and tightening his grip on the division.

Their first fight in December 2025 ended in chaos after Pantoja suffered an accidental elbow dislocation just 26 seconds into the bout. The result handed Van the belt but also a wave of scepticism. On Saturday night, he answered every question.

“A lot of people said that was an accidental win, well, doubt me now,” Van said, his record now standing at 18 wins and two losses.

Already the first UFC champion born in the 2000s, Van had defended the title once against Tatsuro Taira in May. This, though, was different. This was about validation.

Pantoja, 36 and brimming with veteran grit, came out determined to drag the champion into deep water. He secured a takedown in the opening round and turned it into a bruising, breathless exchange. Heavy punches, thudding knees, a reminder of his old champion’s menace. Van answered with a slicing elbow that opened the door to what followed.

From the second round, the fight began to tilt. Van, who moved to the United States at 12 and has grown into one of the sport’s sharpest young technicians, found his range behind a stiff, spiteful jab. The left hand kept snapping Pantoja’s head back, forcing the Brazilian to reset, step after step.

By the third, Van was flowing. He strung together slick punching combinations, mixing speed and precision, rocking Pantoja and drawing roars from the crowd as the momentum swung firmly his way. The challenger was still dangerous, still pressing, but the cleaner work belonged to the champion.

Pantoja refused to fade. In the fourth round he dragged the contest back into his world, securing another takedown and working from top position. He controlled long stretches on the mat, hunting for openings, but Van stayed calm, defended well and refused to give up the submission the Brazilian so badly needed.

That resilience set the stage for the finish.

In the final round, Van walked Pantoja down. No panic, no rush, just a stalking champion reading a tired challenger. Then came the shot: an overhand right that crashed through and sent Pantoja to the canvas. The Brazilian survived to hear the horn, but the damage was done. On the scorecards, there was no debate.

Van left the cage not just as the reigning flyweight champion, but as the man who had decisively beaten the division’s seasoned standard-bearer twice in under a year.

Earlier in the night, Scottish fighter Casey O’Neill added her own statement, securing an armbar submission against Eduarda Moura to underline her rise in the women’s ranks.

For Van, though, the picture is clear. The belt is his, the doubts are gone, and at just 24, the question now is not whether he belongs at the top of the flyweight division – but how long he plans to rule it.