Joshua Van Dominates Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331
Joshua Van walked into Los Angeles with a belt and a question mark. He walked out with only the belt.
The 24-year-old flyweight champion from Myanmar produced a composed, ruthless performance to defeat Alexandre Pantoja in their rematch at UFC 331, removing any lingering doubt over how he claimed the title in the first place.
Their first meeting in December 2025 ended in chaos after just 26 seconds, when Pantoja suffered an accidental elbow dislocation. Van left that night with the belt but not the validation. This time, he took both.
“A lot of people said that was an accidental win, well, doubt me now,” Van said, his record now a sharp 18 wins and two losses, his voice carrying the edge of a man who has heard every question and answered each one with violence and control.
Born in the 2000s, the first UFC champion of his generation, Van had already defended his title once against Tatsuro Taira in May. Beating Pantoja again, and doing it over five hard rounds, felt like the final stamp on his claim as the division’s man to beat.
A furious start
Pantoja, 36 and desperate to reclaim what he believed was his, came out with intent. He dragged Van to the canvas in the opening round and tried to rough him up, mixing heavy punches and knees in a wild early exchange.
Van refused to wilt. Off the back foot, he carved in a slicing elbow that reminded Pantoja, and everyone watching, that this wasn’t going to be a repeat of the freak ending in their first fight. This was going to be earned.
Once they settled, Van’s read of the fight sharpened. His movement loosened. The champion started to find his range.
Van takes over
In the second round, Van’s jab became the story. Working almost exclusively off his left hand, he began to pick Pantoja apart, stabbing straight shots through the guard and forcing the Brazilian to reset again and again.
By the third, the momentum had swung fully. Van stitched together a fluid combination of punches that rocked Pantoja and underlined the gap in speed and timing. Every exchange now felt like it belonged to the champion. The challenger was still dangerous, still throwing, but he was chasing.
Pantoja dug deep in the fourth. He went back to his wrestling, took Van down, and tried to drag the fight into his world. He controlled long stretches on the mat, hunting for openings, but Van stayed calm, defended well, and refused to give up the submission Pantoja needed.
The Brazilian won the round. He didn’t break the champion.
Statement finish
That resilience set the stage for the final act.
In the fifth, Van came forward with a predator’s patience. He stalked Pantoja, cutting off space, making the older man work for every inch of the Octagon. Then came the moment: an overhand right that crashed through and dropped Pantoja, the kind of shot that ends arguments as cleanly as it floors opponents.
Pantoja survived to hear the horn, but the fight was gone. The judges’ scorecards confirmed what had played out in real time: Van had not just defended his title; he had outclassed the former champion across five rounds.
For a fighter who left Myanmar at 12 to build a life and a career in the United States, this was more than a win. It was a coronation. The flyweight division has a new standard, and his name is Joshua Van.
O’Neill shines with slick submission
On the same card, Scottish contender Casey O’Neill added her own exclamation mark to the night. She submitted Eduarda Moura with a sharp armbar, a clean finish that will only strengthen her push up the rankings.
While O’Neill’s rise gathers pace, it is Van who leaves Los Angeles with the loudest statement. The accidental champion tag is gone. The belt, and the division, now clearly run through him.
