UFC 331 Preview: Joshua Van vs Alexandre Pantoja 2, Tsarukyan vs Ruffy and Full Card

This weekend, the UFC returns to Los Angeles and is hosted at the Crypto.com Arena for the first time in eight years.

Ferocious flyweights headline the card as former long-standing champion Alexandre Pantoja aims to avenge his loss against a young star whose rise to the top of the division took everyone by storm. Hailing from Myanmar, Joshua Van has a nation behind him and, at 24 years of age, the future only looks set to get even brighter.

The first bout went down back at UFC 323 in December last year, where Van won the belt after an injury in the first 30 seconds meant that Pantoja could not continue. The injury itself was an elbow dislocation, which occurred as Pantoja attempted to break his fall.

For Van, many felt this was a fluke and that he was not meant to be champion. No fighter wants to win the belt on a technicality, hence the rematch has always been the number one priority. Since then, the bad blood has boiled and tensions are palpable ahead of UFC 331.

Van has already defended the belt in impressive fashion against another young rising star, Tatsuro Taira, getting a fifth-round TKO against the Japanese flyweight in May. That recent victory capped a seven-fight win streak for Van as his stardom continues to grow after suffering a devastating loss to Charles Johnson in July 2024.

It was the year prior that Van debuted in the UFC, and he has maintained sublime activity since joining the organisation three years ago.

In that same year, 2023, Alexandre Pantoja achieved his dream and secured the flyweight title against long-time foe Brandon Moreno via split decision. In the two years that followed, Pantoja racked up four defences against three top contenders, Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg and Kai Kara-France, as well as an external superstar making his UFC debut, Kai Asakura.

Prior to the defeat to Van, fans were considering Pantoja amongst the best at flyweight alongside icons like Demetrious Johnson.

Perennial contender in the lightweight division Arman Tsarukyan is yet again defending his spot at the top of the division against another star on the rise.

Within the UFC, Tsarukyan has performed well on many occasions, but his external behaviour has cost him not only title shots but opportunities within the company. Now with a 10-2 record in the UFC, the Armenian is edging closer to a title bout if he can behave outside the cage.

He last fought in November 2025, defeating Dan Hooker in style, and since then has competed in multiple grappling and wrestling competitions, most notably in RAF.

Stepping up against Tsarukyan is flashy Brazilian striker Mauricio Ruffy. 2026 has been a phenomenal year so far for Ruffy, with two explosive finishes over Rafael Fiziev and Michael Chandler, the latter on the world stage at the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House.

His sole UFC defeat came a year ago at UFC Paris, when Benoit Saint Denis locked in a submission in front of his home fans. That defeat initiated a move in training camp as he left the popular Fighting Nerds gym and now bases himself out of Australia.

MMA icon Patricio Pitbull aims to bounce back from his second UFC defeat in his first three fights after losing to Aaron Pico in April. He faces a fan favourite in Doo Ho Choi.

The ‘Korean Superboy’ made his UFC debut 12 years ago and kicked off his UFC tenure with three first-round KOs. His form unfortunately flipped, and he lost his following three. A lengthy break from the sport, caused by injuries and potential military service, ended in 2023 when he returned to competition after three years.

Now on another three-fight win streak, he has the chance to scalp a legend of the sport.

Heavyweight prodigy Gable Steveson has been bumped to the main card after an injury to Brian Ortega affected the original match-up planned for the card. The big heavyweight clashes with 4-2 Sean Sharaf as the UFC continues to promote the American star backed by Jon Jones.

Opening the main card is Polish powerhouse Iwo Baraniewski, aiming to secure his ranking against seasoned veteran Alonzo Menifield. Baraniewski is 9-0 and has a 100% first-round finish rate, a frightening individual the UFC requires in the light heavyweight rankings.

On the prelims are a pair of well-matched bouts in the featherweight and bantamweight divisions.

The first fight of the night sees Georgian kicking wizard Giga Chikadze take on grizzled Brazilian veteran Joanderson Brito.

Both men have lingered around the fringes of the rankings at 145lbs but have never managed to break into the elite of the division.

Brito is certainly in better form, winning his last two fights as he rebounds from the first back-to-back losses of his career. Alternatively, Chikadze is on a skid of three losses, all against elite opponents, but he needs to snap the streak if he is to remain in the UFC at 38 years of age.

Headlining the prelims is a bantamweight bout between Canadian Charles Jourdain and wily veteran Marlon Vera.

The streaking Jourdain has soared into the rankings with three straight bonus-winning victories. His UFC career has been a roller-coaster, with a record of 9-7-1 in the organisation. Many feel the time is now for Jourdain, as everything seems to be falling into place for him to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

Marlon Vera is aiming to halt that rise. The 26-fight UFC veteran has competed for the bantamweight title but ultimately fell short against Sean O’Malley in 2024.

Since that loss, he has been unable to recover, losing all three fights since his title fight defeat. Some fans feel Vera is in freefall, and another defeat at UFC 331 could spell disaster and possibly the end of his UFC stint.

With a flyweight title rematch at the top of the bill, a crucial lightweight clash in the co-main event and plenty of established names throughout the card, UFC 331 has plenty at stake from top to bottom.

For Joshua Van, the opportunity is there to put any doubts surrounding his first victory over Pantoja to bed. For the former champion, it is a chance to reclaim the belt and once again establish himself at the top of the flyweight division.

With Tsarukyan, Ruffy, Pitbull, Choi and several other contenders also looking to make a statement, the UFC’s return to Los Angeles promises an intriguing night of action.