Overview
- Joshua Van retained the UFC flyweight belt by unanimous decision against Alexandre Pantoja Saturday at Crypto.com Arena, with the judges scoring the rematch 49-46, 48-47 and 50-45.
- The five-round main event earned Fight of the Night and paid both Van and Pantoja $100,000 each for their performances.
- In the co-main, Arman Tsarukyan finished Maurício Ruffy with elbows at 4:56 of round one, a highlight KO that bolsters Tsarukyan’s claim to a lightweight title shot.
- UFC 331 produced several other big finishes that reshuffled contender momentum, including Sean Sharaf’s 12-second knockout of Gable Steveson and Performance and finish bonuses awarded across the card.
- Some reporters and observers criticized the scorecards—notably a 50-45 card that gave Van every round—fueling debate about round scoring even as Van, the first UFC champion from Myanmar, declared ‘Doubt me now’ after defending his title.