Joshua Van vs Pantoja II Headlines UFC 331 in Los Angeles

The first meeting between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja barely qualified as a fight. Pantoja injured his elbow 26 seconds into the opening round at UFC 323, handed over the flyweight belt, and left everyone wondering what would've happened over 25 minutes. On September 19 in Los Angeles, they'll find out. The UFC has booked Van vs Pantoja II as the main event of UFC 331.

Van has done nothing to suggest the title was a fluke. In his first defense, he ran through Tatsuro Taira for a fifth-round TKO at UFC 328 in May — a finish that turned plenty of skeptics. Pantoja, meanwhile, arrives at 30-6 (8 KO, 12 SUB) with a submission game that produced 12 of those wins, and he's still the No. 1 contender the promotion couldn't ignore.

A Rematch With Real Stakes

Before losing the strap, the 36-year-old was one of the most active champions in the division's history, banking four straight defenses against Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura and Kai Kara-France. Now he's chasing rare air: only Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo have ever reclaimed the UFC flyweight title. Pantoja wants to be the third, and he's got the résumé to make it more than wishful thinking.

The co-main is arguably just as spicy. No. 2 lightweight Arman Tsarukyan returns for the first time since November to face Mauricio Ruffy over five rounds. Ruffy is the hot hand, having just starched Michael Chandler with a highlight-reel knockout at UFC Freedom 250 in June. Tsarukyan, at 23-3, is the more proven quantity.

Tsarukyan's Momentum Problem

Tsarukyan enters on a five-fight winning streak, headlined by a second-round submission of Dan Hooker and a decision over former champ Charles Oliveira at UFC 300. That's a résumé that should have him next in line for a title shot, not fighting a surging prospect. But the lightweight logjam is what it is, and beating Ruffy is the kind of statement that keeps his name at the top of the queue.

Two divisions, two fights with clear title implications, one card in LA. Van gets to prove the belt is his on merit. Pantoja gets the clean look he was denied. And in the lightweight picture, Tsarukyan can't afford to slip against a man who just made Chandler go stiff. September 19 is going to be worth the wait.