UFC President Dana White announced on Wednesday that flyweight champion Joshua Van will defend his title against former champion Alexandre Pantoja in the main event of UFC 331.
The event is scheduled for September 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The bout is a rematch of their previous meeting.
Van captured the UFC flyweight championship in December 2025 at UFC 323. In that fight, Pantoja suffered an arm injury early in the first round after falling awkwardly. The contest ended after 26 seconds, and Van was awarded the victory by TKO. Van then made his first title defense in May against Tatsuro Taira, winning by TKO in the fifth round.
Pantoja held the flyweight title prior to the first meeting with Van. He is returning to competition after recovering from the injury. Van holds a professional record of 17-2. Pantoja’s record stands at 30-6.
The co main event features lightweight contenders Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy in a five round bout. Additional fights on the card include Patricio Pitbull against Dooho Choi.
Van, a native of Myanmar, has expressed interest in a rematch with Pantoja following the injury shortened first encounter. Pantoja previously defended the flyweight title multiple times before the December bout.
UFC 331 marks the organization’s return to Los Angeles for a numbered event. The full fight card was revealed alongside the main event announcement.
The title fight pairs the current champion with the previous titleholder in a scheduled five round contest for the flyweight belt.
