Alexandre Pantoja Gets UFC 331 Title Rematch

Alexandre Pantoja has been booked for a flyweight title rematch with Joshua Van, and their second meeting will headline UFC 331 on Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The matchup gives Pantoja a direct route back to the championship he lost in an unusual and abruptly ended first encounter. Van won the belt when Pantoja suffered an elbow injury 26 seconds into the opening round at UFC 323, leaving the original title change surrounded by the circumstances of the stoppage rather than a fully developed fight.

For Pantoja, the return is not simply another appearance in the division. It is a chance to revisit the exact matchup that ended his time as champion after an injury occurred during the opening moments. The rematch was announced with Van established as the current flyweight champion following a successful defense against Tatsuro Taira in May, when Van earned a fifth-round TKO at UFC 328. Pantoja enters the new booking as the former titleholder seeking to restore his position at the top of the weight class. The Sept. 19 main event also places the focus on a clear unresolved point from their first fight: the title changed hands, but the contest ended before either man could build the kind of extended performance usually expected in a championship bout.

Why Alexandre Pantoja’s rematch matters

The first Van-Pantoja fight lasted only 26 seconds, according to the UFC’s announcement. Pantoja suffered an elbow injury after falling awkwardly during an exchange, and the injury forced the bout to be stopped in the opening round. ESPN described the incident as occurring when Pantoja was bracing himself on the mat after Van caught an early kick. Those details explain why the rematch carries a different context from a conventional repeat meeting: it is a return to a championship matchup that was settled quickly because Pantoja could not continue.

Pantoja’s body of work before that loss adds another layer to the booking. Before losing the flyweight title, he made four successful defenses, beating Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura and Kai Kara-France. That confirmed run is the relevant career context for his return, because the UFC 331 contest gives the former champion an immediate chance to challenge for the belt again. At 36 years old, Pantoja is aiming to become the third flyweight in UFC history to reclaim the championship, following Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo. That possibility does not determine the result on Sept. 19, but it defines the historical significance available to Pantoja if he wins in Los Angeles.

What is confirmed for UFC 331

UFC 331 is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, with Pantoja and Van in the main event. The event’s five-round lightweight co-main event pairs Arman Tsarukyan with Mauricio Ruffy, but Pantoja remains central to the card’s championship storyline because his bout is the flyweight title fight. The rematch follows Van’s first successful defense, while Pantoja returns after recovering from the injury that ended their initial contest. No outcome has been established for the second fight; what is confirmed is the date, location, title stakes and the opponents. For Pantoja, the announced contest is a defined next step: a championship opportunity against the man who took the belt in December.

• Alexandre Pantoja lost the flyweight title after an elbow injury stopped his first fight with Joshua Van 26 seconds into round one.
• Alexandre Pantoja previously defended the flyweight championship four times, against Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura and Kai Kara-France.

Alexandre Pantoja’s UFC 331 booking puts him back in a title fight with a rare amount of unfinished context attached to it. His first meeting with Van produced a championship change, but Pantoja’s injury ended the action almost immediately. The Los Angeles rematch now offers Pantoja the opportunity to challenge for the flyweight belt again after a four-defense reign, with a place alongside Moreno and Figueiredo available if he reclaims the championship.

Sources: ESPN MMA; MMA Fighting; UFC.com; MMA Weekly