UFC 331 is just 48 hours away, with the flyweight title on the line in the main event. Joshua Van will face Alexandre Pantoja in a rematch following their bizarre first meeting at UFC 323. It has been nine months since the two first met in December 2025, and their fight ended in one of the strangest ways possible.
Pantoja lost his long-held flyweight title just 26 seconds into the opening round after suffering a freak elbow injury following an awkward fall. Van was suddenly crowned champion, but an obvious question remained over his reign: could he prove that he truly belonged at the top?
Van answered that question at UFC 328. The 24-year-old, now the second-youngest champion in UFC history, put together a standout performance against Tatsuro Taira, stopping the Japanese contender via fifth-round TKO. However, many fans still believe Pantoja will humble Van in the rematch, arguing that the Brazilian would have done so in December 2025 had he not suffered the injury.
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Alexander Volkanovski, however, sees things differently. The reigning featherweight champion believes Van has what it takes to edge Pantoja in the rematch. His prediction comes after the two champions previously trained together.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Volk said, “I remember when we were in America, he [Van] wanted to grapple with everyone. He wanted to go there and get some grappling rounds; that was the whole point. He’d come and ask me questions.”
Fans have been reluctant to give Van much of a chance on the ground because of Pantoja’s elite grappling game. The Brazilian owns a 30-6 record with eight knockouts, 12 submissions and 10 decisions. His 12 submission wins account for 40% of his professional victories and highlight just how dangerous he can be once a fight hits the mat.
However, Volkanovski believes Van has likely been working on his grappling, especially given his natural desire to keep learning. He added, “That’s what I like to see. Me knowing that, knowing that he’s working on these things and already would have been working in these positions, but trying to understand the game and why we’re doing this.”
Van enters the rematch with 75% takedown defense and a 61% takedown accuracy of his own. He isn’t afraid to grapple when necessary, but his priority is usually getting back to his feet rather than accepting extended periods on the ground.
Alexander Volkanovski picks Joshua Van to defeat Alexandre Pantoja in the main event of UFC 331 😳👀
“I feel like Joshua Van can do good enough and do a lot of damage, and some serious damage if Pantoja approaches this the wrong way.”
(Via @alexvolkanovski / YT) pic.twitter.com/I9TzYkT9Hj
— Title Fight (@TitleFightMedia) September 8, 2026
That was evident in his last outing, when Taira took him down eight times from 21 attempts and controlled him for more than 10 minutes. Against Pantoja, however, Van will be facing arguably the most dangerous grappler he has encountered in UFC flyweight history.
The big question now is how much the champion has improved since that fight. If Van can neutralize Pantoja’s grappling threat, he could have a much different night than many fans are expecting at UFC 331.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
