Pantoja Wants His Flyweight Belt Back — And Joshua Van Stands in the Way at UFC 331

Alexandre Pantoja gets his shot at redemption on Sept. 19, when he headlines UFC 331 against the man who took his flyweight belt. The rematch with Joshua Van tops the card at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, and it's been circled since December, when Pantoja lost the title after suffering an injury in the opening round of their first meeting.

That night ended fast and ugly. Pantoja, still ranked #1 at 30-6 with 12 submissions to his name, saw a long championship reign wiped out by a first-round KO/TKO that owed as much to the injury as to Van's work. Now the Brazilian gets the do-over he's been chasing, and he says he intends to reclaim what he considers his.

The Co-Main Could Decide a Title Shot

The night's other headline act is a lightweight crossroads fight between Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy. Tsarukyan makes a long-awaited return, and the stakes are simple: the winner is positioned for a crack at champion Justin Gaethje. That's a lot riding on one 15-minute window, and it's the kind of matchmaking that tends to produce fireworks.

Further down, Patricio Pitbull tries to steady a shaky UFC start. The Bellator legend has dropped two of his three Octagon appearances, and he draws Doo Ho Choi — a dangerous test given Choi has reeled off three straight wins. On paper, the momentum belongs to the Korean.

Familiar Faces, Old Business

Brian Ortega gets another attempt at Renato Moicano, the fight that fell apart earlier this year when Ortega withdrew. The former featherweight title challenger sits at 16-5, ranked #11, and is coming off a unanimous-decision loss to Aljamain Sterling. Ortega's calling card remains that grappling arsenal — eight of his 16 wins are submissions.

The main card opens at 205 pounds, where Alonzo Menifield meets Iwo Baraniewski. Menifield (18-6-1, ranked #14) enters hot off a first-round KO of Zhang Mingyang, and with 11 knockouts on his ledger, he's exactly the type to start the night with a bang. It's a stacked slate — but everything orbits Pantoja's bid to become champion again.

For Pantoja, the math is personal. A win doesn't just hand him the belt back; it erases an asterisk. Lose to injury once and it lingers. Beat Van cleanly and the narrative flips overnight.