Joshua Van is still the UFC flyweight champion. The fighter from Myanmar won after five hard-fought rounds against Alexandre Pantoja via unanimous decision during UFC 331. Van beat Pantoja at the end of last year after the Brazilian got injured early in the fight.
This time the fight went the full 25 minutes. Both fighters put on an absolute classic in the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Pantoja started strong and landed a couple of good punches mixed in with takedowns. Van, as always, started slow but kept growing in the fight.
Classic For The Ages
In the second round, Pantoja landed a hard shot on Van’s face. Van was wobbly, and both men unintentionally clashed heads. Pantoja was furious and asked referee Herb Dean for a point deduction. Dean didn’t do that because it was accidental. Pantoja kept going for takedowns while Van was making the difference on the scorecards, with some hard combinations opening up the cuts on Pantoja’s face even more.
Van solidified his win in the fifth round. Pantoja was clearly tired of the highly intense fight. The fighter from Myanmar kept on going and knocked down Pantoja. He almost finished him with a keylock, but Pantoja escaped. Van finished the fight strong and won by unanimous decision in the second defense of his belt.
Title Shot Secured
Before the fight between Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy was announced, the UFC said to both fighters that a win could earn them a title shot next. The fight was scheduled for five rounds but only needed one round. Tsarukyan tried to get Ruffy to the ground, but the Brazilian worked on his takedown defense and was able to keep the fight standing for some time.
[ WATCH LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ]
Later in the first round, Tsarukyan got more dominant and knocked Ruffy out seconds before the end of the round with two vicious elbows. The question now is: did Tsarukyan finally secure a new title shot? That question should only have one answer: Yes!
Still Going Strong
The vintage version of Patricio Pitbull has arrived in the UFC. The former Bellator MMA champion got his second win in the UFC and his first finish tonight. The Brazilian fighter put on the pressure early on against the favorite DooHo Choi. Choi couldn’t handle the pressure and punches of the Brazilian.
[ LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ]
Pitbull landed a massive punch on the chin of Choi and knocked him to the ground. Pitbull finished the fight via ground-and-pound for his first finish inside the Octagon. An amazing win over a highly respected fighter like Choi.
Massive Upset
Sean Sharaf did what almost nobody expected him to do. The American fighter knocked out Gable Steveson twelve seconds into the first round. Sharaf was a massive underdog leading up to the fight.
Sean Sharaf sent our commentator booth into a frenzy with his #CryptoCom #UFC331 win over Gable Steveson!
[ B2YB @TotalWireless ]
Steveson was the biggest up-and-comer in the heavyweight division and a massive favorite coming into the fight. Sharaf landed a perfect punch, knocking down Steveson. He ended the fight with ground-and-pound. An unbelievable finish and his first win in three fights in the UFC.
Beating The Odds
Marlon Vera has saved his top-15 ranking in the UFC. The Ecuadorian fighter entered the fight against Charles Jourdain as the betting underdog. Vera lost his last four fights, while Jourdain was making his way into the rankings with three consecutive wins.
What a performance by @ChitoVeraUFC at #CryptoCom #UFC331!
Vera fought sharp and had Jourdain in all kinds of trouble. Vera was quicker on the feet and knocked down Jourdain three times. After the third knockdown, Jourdain had enough and asked the referee to stop the fight. A very necessary win for Vera, who keeps his spot in the top 15 of the bantamweight division.
Unbelievable Finish
Casey O’Neill has extended her winning streak to three fights. The flyweight took on Eduarda Moura during the early preliminary card tonight. Moura immediately went for a takedown and controlled the majority of the round on the ground. Moura looked close to finishing a d’arce choke, but O’Neill maneuvered out of it.
Just over three minutes in, O’Neill tried to escape her bottom position and elevated Moura in the air. While flipping Moura over, she grabbed an arm. Moura tapped almost immediately from the armbar. An amazing win for O’Neill and an unexpected turnaround in seconds within the fight.
Full Results UFC 331
Main Card
- Joshua Van def. Alexandre Pantoja via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-47, 50-45).
- Arman Tsarukyan def. Mauricio Ruffy via knockout (elbows) – R1, 4:56.
- Patricio Pitbull def. DooHo Choi via knockout (punches) – R1, 3:28.
- Sean Sharaf def. Gable Steveson via knockout (punches) – R1, 0:12.
- Alonzo Menifield def. Iwo Baraniewski via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).
Preliminary Card
- Marlon Vera def. Charles Jourdain via TKO (punch) – R3, 2:02.
- Robelis Despaigne def. Tai Tuivasa via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
- Michael Aswell Jr. def. JooSang Yoo via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).
- Ryan Gandra def. Ozzy Diaz via TKO (punches) – R1, 2:04.
Early Preliminary Card
- Edmen Shahbazyan def. Brunno Ferreira via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
- Casey O’Neill def. Eduarda Moura via submission (armbar) – R1, 3:22.
- Joanderson Brito def. Giga Chikadze via knockout (punches) – R1, 1:57.
Joshua Van Retains Flyweight Title in Classic Against Alexandre Pantoja