Flyweight champion Joshua Van defends against former titleholder Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331 on Saturday, September 19, with the Octagon returning to Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
It is a rematch that never really happened the first time. Van took the belt at UFC 323 when Pantoja suffered an elbow injury twenty-six seconds into the opening round — a championship changing hands before either man had thrown enough to learn anything.
That is the case for running it back, and it is a strong one. A title fight decided inside half a minute by an injury leaves the division exactly where it was, with two fighters who still have not answered the question the booking was made to answer.
The co-main
Arman Tsarukyan, ranked second at lightweight, meets Mauricio Ruffy over five rounds. Ruffy arrives off a knockout of Michael Chandler at UFC Freedom 250 in June.
A five-round non-title bout is usually a promotion saying something about where it thinks the winner is going. At lightweight, with an interim belt already in circulation, that is worth watching.
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