TLDR
- Joshua Van defeated Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-47, 50-45) to retain his flyweight title at UFC 331
- Van dropped Pantoja in the fifth round and defended takedowns to secure his second successful title defense
- Arman Tsarukyan knocked out Mauricio Ruffy with elbows at 4:56 of round one to earn a potential title shot
- Sean Sharaf scored the third-fastest knockout in UFC heavyweight history, stopping Gable Steveson in 12 seconds
- Patricio Pitbull earned his first UFC stoppage win by TKO over Dooho Choi in round one
Sources: yardbarker.com | sports.yahoo.com | nz.news.yahoo.com
Joshua Van retained his flyweight championship Saturday night at UFC 331 in Los Angeles, defeating Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision with scores of 49-46, 49-47, and 50-45.
The 24-year-old champion from Myanmar improved his record to 18-2 and earned his second successful title defense. His first victory over Pantoja at UFC 323 in December ended after just 26 seconds when Pantoja suffered an arm injury.
Pantoja refused to touch gloves before the fight and immediately took Van down within the first 10 seconds. The 36-year-old Brazilian worked to establish mount position early, but Van stayed calm and returned to his feet.
Van’s Boxing Proves Decisive
Van used crisp combinations and sweeping elbows to find his rhythm in the opening round. The second round featured an accidental clash of heads that opened a cut above Pantoja’s left eye.
The champion landed his jab regularly while Pantoja answered with a late takedown and body triangle. Van displayed strong takedown defense in the third round while landing clean boxing combinations.
Pantoja shifted momentum in the fourth round with heavy top control from side control and half guard. He landed short elbows while grinding on Van for most of the round, setting up a decisive fifth frame.
Van took control in the final round, walking Pantoja down with multiple punch combinations. He dropped the challenger with a clean one-two punch before moving to top position.
The champion defended Pantoja’s late wrestling attempts and continued striking until the final bell. “Doubt me now… Pantoja is hard to finish,” Van said in his post-fight interview.
Pantoja left the Octagon immediately after the decision was announced without speaking to commentator Joe Rogan.
Tsarukyan Earns Title Shot With Last-Second Knockout
In the co-main event, Arman Tsarukyan knocked out Mauricio Ruffy with a pair of hard elbows at 4:56 of the first round. The Armenian lightweight improved to 24-3 and extended his winning streak to six fights.
Ruffy landed a clean right hand early before defending well against Tsarukyan’s wrestling attempts at the cage. As the round ended, Tsarukyan broke free from a clinch and landed two short elbows that knocked Ruffy out cold.
Tsarukyan called for a title shot in his post-fight interview, joking he would call out Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg if the UFC didn’t give him a championship fight. Four of his last five wins have come by stoppage.
Former Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull earned his first UFC stoppage victory, stopping Dooho Choi via TKO at 3:28 of round one. Pitbull, who won championships in two divisions during four separate Bellator reigns, improved to 38-9 with sharp volume striking.
He landed a devastating right hand that forced the referee to stop the featherweight contest. Choi, who has competed in the UFC since 2014, saw his three-fight finishing streak end as his record dropped to 17-5-1.
Sean Sharaf pulled off a major upset in the heavyweight division, stopping Gable Steveson just 12 seconds into their fight. Sharaf caught Steveson immediately with a flurry of strikes for the third-fastest knockout in UFC heavyweight history.
Steveson, who entered as a heavy betting favorite, left the Octagon before Sharaf’s hand was raised. The loss dropped Steveson’s record to 4-1 while Sharaf improved to 5-2.
Alonzo Menifield defeated Iwo Baraniewski by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) at light heavyweight despite suffering a compound fracture in his left thumb. Menifield improved to 16-5-1 while handing Baraniewski his first professional loss.
