UFC 331 arrives Saturday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles with a flyweight championship rematch carrying far more intrigue than the official result of the first meeting suggests.
uncertain
result → arrive → meeting
Champion Joshua Van attempts to remove any lingering doubt surrounding his reign, while former titleholder Alexandre Pantoja returns determined to reclaim a championship he never lost in conventional fashion.
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he → attempt → fashion
Van captured the title at UFC 323 in December when Pantoja suffered a severe arm and elbow injury only 26 seconds into the opening round.
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Pantoja → capture → round
The injury occurred after Pantoja caught a kick but landed awkwardly while attempting to brace his fall.
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Pantoja → occur → fall
Van was awarded a technical knockout, but the abbreviated fight revealed little about how the two compare over a full contest.
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two → award → contest
That uncertainty creates Saturday’s central question: Can Van defeat Pantoja decisively?
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Van → create → Pantoja
“He’s a very, very dangerous guy,” the 24-year-old said.
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old → ’ → ?
“He’s going to be motivated, he’s going to be hungrier, and I think this will be the best Pantoja we’ll see.
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we → go → ?
“This time, you guys will see a different level of Joshua Van.
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guys → see → Van
When I beat him, I will be one of the greats in this division.”
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I → beat → division
Van enters with a 17-2 record and seven consecutive victories.
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Van → enter → record
Fighting out of Houston, the Myanmar-born champion has recorded nine knockouts, two submissions and three first-round finishes.
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champion → fight → knockouts
His resume includes victories over Brandon Royval, Pantoja and Tatsuro Taira, whom he stopped in the fifth round at UFC 328 during his first successful title defense.
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he → include → defense
The Taira victory demonstrated that Van could handle an elite challenger across an extended fight.
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Van → demonstrate → fight
He maintained his pressure, survived difficult moments and secured a late stoppage instead of merely protecting an early advantage.
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He → maintain → advantage
Now ranked No. 11 on the UFC men’s pound-for-pound list, Van has an opportunity to establish himself as the division’s unquestioned leader by defeating its former standard-bearer under normal circumstances.
Pantoja enters the rematch with a 30-6 record, the No. 1 flyweight ranking and the No. 13 position in the men’s pound-for-pound standings.
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Pantoja → rank → standings
The Brazilian has eight knockout victories, 12 submissions and 10 first-round finishes, with notable wins over Kai Kara-France, Kai Asakura, Steve Erceg, Brandon Moreno and Royval.
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Brazilian → have → France
Before suffering the injury, Pantoja had successfully defended the championship four times.
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Pantoja → suffer → championship
His relentless pressure, physical grappling and submission ability made him one of the UFC’s most dependable champions.
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him → make → champions
He now seeks to become the third two-time flyweight champion in UFC history, joining Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo.
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He → seek → Moreno
“My whole life I’ve just focused on myself,” Pantoja said.
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Pantoja → focus → myself
“I don’t look at Moreno and Figueiredo; both are very good fighters. ...
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both → look → Moreno
I fight my whole life to fight the best fighters in the world.
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I → fight → world
Saturday night I have this chance to beat the champion of the world.
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I → have → world
“I think it’s a new era for the flyweight division.
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it → think → division
I think everyone is starting to respect the division.
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everyone → think → division
The contrast should produce a fascinating tactical battle.
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contrast → produce → battle
Van is the younger, faster combination striker, while Pantoja brings championship experience, suffocating grappling and proven five-round endurance.
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Pantoja → bring → experience
Van can transform an unconventional title victory into an authoritative championship statement.
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Van → transform → statement
Pantoja can complete his recovery, reclaim the throne and remind the division why he remained champion until one awkward landing changed everything.
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landing → complete → everything
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