UFC 331 results: Joshua Van, Alexandre Pantoja erupt for Fight of the Year thriller in fiery title rematch

Joshua Van may only be 24 years old, but there can be no more doubting that he's already one of the best fighters in the world.Nine months after their first meeting ended in one of the anticlimactic title changes in UFC history, Van and Alexandre Pantoja made good on their second chance, erupting for a thrilling Fight of the Year contender Saturday night at UFC 331. After five rounds of furious back-and-forth action, it was Van who ultimately emerged victorious, claiming a unanimous decision (49-46, 49-47, 50-45) to notch the second defense of his UFC flyweight belt and cement his position as the new-gen king of the 125-pound division."A lot of people said that was an accidental win the first time. Doubt me now," Van said post-fight."Shout out to Pantoja, nothing but respect from me. He's a tough motherf***er, man."Van (18-2) and Pantoja (30-7) first collided this past December at UFC 323, with Pantoja suffering a freak arm injury just 26 seconds into the fight to end his two-year reign as champ. The win made Van the second-youngest titleholder in UFC history, however most viewed the outcome as a fluke; Pantoja entered the rematch still ranked as Uncrowned's No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, while Van slotted well below at No. 10.The pair had essentially been at each other's throats ever since, with the animosity between them steadily growing throughout 2026 until it spilled over into an absurdly-paced, all-out war of attrition Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.Pantoja off to a quick start!📺 @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/2caBtx4ZwB— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) September 20, 2026 Pantoja, the decorated 36-year-old ex-champ, set the tone early, tackling Van to the floor with a slick takedown in the opening seconds of the bout. It was one of five takedowns Pantoja ultimately collected over the 25-minute contest, however Van showcased significant growth in his grappling defense since his title win over Tatsuro Taira in May, stopping 11 of Pantoja’s 16 total attempts and consistently refusing to be held down. Once on the feet, the champ was often dazzling, throwing punches in bunches and unloading a seemingly endless array of offensive combinations to the head and body.After allowing Pantoja several minutes control time in the opening round, Van shifted into high gear and seized momentum in the second and third frames, slicing open multiple cuts on Pantoja’s face and battering the Brazilian with his striking volume.An ABSOLUTE WAR through three rounds!📺 @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/koKGMpRagr— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) September 20, 2026 Pantoja remained game though, and stole back control with his best round of the fight in the fourth. He muscled Van to the floor and spent nearly the entire stanza shelling Van with punches and elbows from top position. Yet the young champ refused to be denied.Van stormed out for the final round and left a thunderous statement, pummeling Pantoja with heavy artillery and leaving his rival bloodied and entirely unsteady by the fight’s end. Van even punctuated his performance with the fight’s lone knockdown — a beauty of a one-two that caught Pantoja clean on the jaw and sent him tumbling to the floor.VAN ROCKS PANTOJA IN THE 5TH!!📺 @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/U7EbDDlYgf— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) September 20, 2026 In the end, Van (259 landed of 392 attempted) and Pantoja (159 of 300) combined for nearly 700 attempted total strikes, delivering an astounding pace rarely seen in five-round bouts.For Van, the first Myanmar-born champion in UFC history, it was the definition of a statement performance after enduring nearly a year of doubts and criticism over whether he really deserved the belt.As for Pantoja, the valiant but ultimately losing effort puts the all-time flyweight great on the first two-fight losing streak of his career.Check out complete UFC 331 results and highlights from Saturday's fight card below, including Uncrowned's round-by-round scoring for the final seven bouts of the night.Main cardFlyweight championship: Joshua Van def. Alexandre Pantoja via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-47, 50-45)Lightweight: Arman Tsarukyan def. Mauricio Ruffy via KO (elbows) at 4:56 of R1 | Watch finishFeatherweight: Patricio Pitbull def. Doo Ho Choi via TKO (strikes) at 3:28 of R1 | Watch finishHeavyweight: Sean Sharaf def. Gable Steveson via KO (punch) at:12 of R1 | Watch historic upsetLight heavyweight: Alonzo Menifield def. Iwo Baraniewski via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)Preliminary cardBantamweight: Marlon Vera def. Charles Jourdain via TKO (punch) at 2:02 of R3 | Watch finishHeavyweight: Robelis Despaigne def. Tai Tuivasa via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) | Tuivasa ties UFC's all-time loss recordFeatherweight: Michael Aswell Jr. def. Joo Sang Yoo via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)Middleweight: Ryan Gandra def. Ozzy Diaz via TKO (punches) at 2:04 of R1 | Watch finishEarly prelimsMiddleweight: Edmen Shahbazyan def. Brunno Ferreira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)Women's flyweight: Casey O'Neill def. Eduarda Moura via submission (armbar) at 3:22 of R1 | Watch finishFeatherweight: Joanderson Brito def. Giga Chikadze via knockout (punches) at 1:57 of R1 | Watch finish