Joshua Van delivered a striking masterclass to defeat Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision, retaining his undisputed flyweight championship at UFC 331 in Los Angeles on Saturday. The 24-year-old from Myanmar, the promotion’s first champion from the country, settled the score from their December encounter, which ended prematurely due to a freak injury.
Pantoja, the former long-reigning champion, suffered an accidental elbow dislocation just 26 seconds into their first fight, allowing Van to claim the title without a definitive victory. Van later admitted that many questioned the legitimacy of that win, saying, “A lot of people said that was an accidental win … well, doubt me now.”
The decisive bout saw Van improve his professional MMA record to 18 wins and two losses. He won on all three judges’ scorecards with margins of 49-46, 49-47, and 50-45.
Pantoja started strong in the first round, taking Van down and landing heavy strikes, but Van’s team advised a more tactical approach during the break. Van responded by peppering the Brazilian with left jabs in the second round and rocking him with combinations in the third. Although Pantoja controlled the fourth round with takedowns, he could not secure a submission. In the final round, Van stalked his opponent and knocked him down with an overhand right, sealing the victory.
In the co-main event, Armenian fighter Arman Tsarukyan earned a lightweight title shot with a first-round knockout of Mauricio Ruffy. Tsarukyan pinned Ruffy against the cage and ended the contest with a right elbow just four seconds before the bell, extending his win streak to six fights. He subsequently called out champion Justin Gaethje.
Former Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull secured his first UFC stoppage win, defeating South Korea’s Dooho Choi via TKO in under three minutes of the opening round. The Brazilian overwhelmed Choi with volume striking before landing a devastating right hand, snapping Choi’s long promotional tenure that began in 2014.
In a major upset in the heavyweight division, Sean Sharaf defeated Gable Steveson in just 12 seconds. Despite Steveson entering as a heavy betting favorite, Sharaf unleashed a rapid flurry of strikes for the third-fastest knockout in UFC heavyweight history. A frustrated Steveson left the Octagon immediately after the loss.
Tsarukyan calling out Gaethje after that knockout is bold. I hope he gets the title shot.
I’m still skeptical about how dominant Van looked. Does this win really silence everyone now?
Wait, Sharaf knocked out Steveson in 12 seconds? That is absolutely brutal and unexpected.
Van proved the doubters wrong with that striking masterclass. Well-deserved title retention!