UFC 331 lands this Saturday, September 20, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, and it’s a stacked card built around a genuine grudge-worthy rematch. Joshua Van defends his flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja, the man he beat in the first place, a fight where the record book says Van won by first-round TKO, but plenty of context around that result has fans split on how the rematch plays out.
Just as compelling is the co-main, where Arman Tsarukyan, widely regarded as a top-three lightweight, returns to the cage for the first time since November 2025 to face the dangerous Mauricio Ruffy, arguably the most dynamic striker in the sport right now off the back of a brutal knockout win. The main card also features Gable Steveson taking on Sean Sharaf at heavyweight, plus Tai Tuivasa lower on the card, plenty to dig into for bettors before the first bell.
Gable Steveson enters as a massive favorite over Sean Sharaf, and the KO prop makes sense given the gap in output, Steveson lands 16.29 significant strikes per minute at 71% accuracy compared to Sharaf’s 7.41 at 43%, and Sharaf has already dropped both his UFC bouts by stoppage.
Robelis Despaigne’s KO case leans on sheer power and reach: the 6’7″ Despaigne holds an 84-inch wingspan against Tuivasa’s 75-inch reach, and with Tuivasa arriving on a seven-fight losing streak and defensively suspect, Despaigne’s finishing instincts should carry the day early.
Tsarukyan to win outright is the safer, more conservative angle in that fight, he’s widely regarded as a top-three lightweight and considered too well-rounded for Ruffy, who has a history of struggling against grapplers, giving him a clear path to control the fight on the mat even if it doesn’t end in a finish.
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Joshua Van vs Alexandre Pantoja
UFC Flyweight Title Bout, Los Angeles, USA, 6am CET, Sunday 20th September
Prices: 1.69 Joshua Van, 2.17 Alexandre Pantoja
Before that freak ending at UFC 323, Alexandre Pantoja had built one of the great flyweight championship runs of the modern era, winning the title from Brandon Moreno and grinding out four successful defences over roughly two years, including a third-round submission of Kai Kara-France in his final defence before facing Van.
He didn’t lose the belt on merit; Van caught a high kick and drove him to the canvas, dislocating his elbow just 26 seconds into the fight, cutting short a run that had him building a case as arguably the second-best flyweight of all time behind Demetrious Johnson. Encouragingly, his team confirmed no surgery was needed, with tendons affected but ligaments intact, so time off should mean a fully healed limb rather than lingering damage.
Since then, Van has answered questions about his title’s legitimacy the hard way, out-landing Tatsuro Taira 131-55 in a five-round war at UFC 328 despite being taken down repeatedly, so this isn’t a hollow champion. But Van’s habit of getting taken down early opens the same door Taira nearly walked through, and Pantoja’s elite scrambling, submission threat, and championship composure make him the more dangerous grappler in the cage.
Put it all together, and if he’s back to his physical best, Pantoja looks like real value as the outsider here.
Tip: Alexandre Pantoja to win @ 2.17. 1 unit.
Multi: Robelis Despaigne to win by KO, Gable Steveson to win by KO & Arman Tsarukyan to win @ 2.10. 1 unit.
Check out For Foot Sake’s MMA tipping record here.