Alexandre Pantoja Gets Title Rematch vs Joshua Van at UFC 331 in September

Alexandre Pantoja is officially cleared for a shot at redemption. The UFC confirmed this week that the former flyweight champion will run it back with titleholder Joshua Van in the main event of UFC 331 on September 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, setting up one of the most anticipated rematches on the promotion’s fall calendar.

The rematch comes eight months after a fight that ended almost as soon as it started. Van captured the 125-pound title from Pantoja at UFC 323 last December, but the finish was overshadowed by the circumstances: Pantoja dislocated his arm attempting to stop a takedown just 26 seconds into the opening round, forcing the referee to wave it off. It was an abrupt end to a title reign that had included four successful defenses and an eight-fight winning streak dating back five years.

A Freak Injury That Changed Everything

Pantoja (30-6 MMA, 14-4 UFC) had been considered one of the most dominant flyweights in the sport before the injury, and the fight promotion’s own bettors seemed to agree that the result was more circumstantial than definitive. Early lines for the rematch reflect that lingering respect: DraftKings opened Pantoja as a slight -120 favorite, with Van sitting at +100 as champion. Bettors tracking the odds shift as fight week approaches may want to check a DraftKings promo code before locking in early markets.

Van (17-2 MMA, 10-1 UFC), the UFC’s first Asian-born champion, has already defended the belt once since beating Pantoja, needing five rounds to stop Tatsuro Taira in a Fight of the Night performance at UFC 328. That outing quieted some of the doubters who viewed his title as an asterisk-laden accident, but a clean, healthy version of Pantoja represents a far different puzzle than anything Van has faced in the cage so far.

Pantoja’s Camp Says He’s Better Than Ever

According to American Top Team strength and conditioning coach Everton Oliveira, Pantoja’s recovery defied expectations from the moment the injury occurred. Oliveira told Sherdog that Pantoja avoided surgery entirely and was back in physical therapy within a week of the injury, a recovery timeline that reportedly could have allowed him to return to the Octagon as early as May had the promotion needed him sooner.

Oliveira has since described the fighter now heading into UFC 331 as a “2.0 turbo version” of the champion who once held the belt for over two years. That kind of confidence from inside the camp adds another layer of intrigue to a rematch that, much like the betting volume seen around UFC 330 odds, already carries significant stakes — for Pantoja, a chance to reclaim the title that was taken from him in less than half a minute; for Van, an opportunity to prove his first reign was no fluke against the fighter he beat to get it.

What’s Next

UFC 331 will also feature a five-round lightweight matchup between Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy as the co-main event, giving the September card significant depth beyond the flyweight title fight. Tickets for the Crypto.com Arena event went on sale this week, and with a full 13-fight card now confirmed, anticipation is building steadily as the promotion heads toward the fall stretch of its 2026 schedule.

For Pantoja, the next five weeks will be about proving that the coaching staff’s optimism is warranted and that the man who once looked untouchable at 125 pounds is fully back. For Van, it’s a chance to silence any remaining questions about legitimacy with a decisive statement against the very fighter whose reign he interrupted. Either way, UFC 331 now has a genuine championship rematch worthy of a marquee spot on the fall schedule, and fight fans will be watching the build closely over the coming weeks.