The UFC has officially booked a flyweight championship rematch between current titleholder Joshua Van and former champion Alexandre Pantoja. The fight will serve as the main event for UFC 331 on September 19 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
This upcoming championship bout is a sequel to their first encounter, which ended in highly controversial fashion. Van, the UFC’s first-ever Asian born champion, captured the 125-pound title last December at UFC 323 by first-round TKO, but only 26 seconds into the fight. The bout concluded in an anticlimactic fashion when Van caught Pantoja’s head kick and the Brazilian fell awkwardly to the canvas, causing him to break his elbow.
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Rewatch the fight-ending moment here (via UFC on YouTube):
Despite the circumstances surrounding his injury, Pantoja was officially credited with a loss, marking the end of his dominant reign as flyweight champion.
Pantoja’s Return
Before the mishap, Pantoja had established himself with an impressive eight-fight win streak. He was laser-focused on beating Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson’s record of 11 straight title defenses.
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Before his fight with van, he had already successfully defended his title four times, with his fourth title defense coming by way of dominant submission finish over Kai Kara-France:
The former champion has spent the time since recovering and is now healthy, seeking to reclaim the belt he feels he truly never lost.
In June, Pantoja shared an Instagram video on his progress through the injury:
“I’m really ready to be back. Joshua Van enjoyed his time with the belt, but I’m ready,” he said in the video. “Right now I feel my arm [is at] one hundred percent.”
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Joshua Van Wants to Prove Himself
Since winning the title, the 24-year-old Van has proven he is no fluke champion. He successfully defended the belt for the first time in May against Tatsuro Taira, winning by fifth-round TKO in a fight that was widely considered a “Fight of the Year” candidate (via UFC on Paramount+ on X):
This victory extended his current winning streak to seven straight fights, bringing his UFC record to 10-1 and his overall professional record to 17-2.
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Van has expressed that he believes he caused Pantoja’s injury during their first fight, and that he is willing to run it back with him to prove their first fight was not just a fluke (via UFC on YouTube):
“I didn’t think it was an accident. I made it happen. He kicked me, I pushed him. I think a black belt should know how to fall,” he said in the UFC 328 Countdown video before his fight with Taira.
“I want a straight rematch with Pantoja, but he’s got to heal up,” he added.
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Now, he gets his wish for a rematch with his rival and he has the chance to prove that his first victory was legit.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Aug 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the MMA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
