The full lineup for UFC 331 is finally set, and the main event will see Joshua Van defend his flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja in a long-awaited rematch after their bizarre first meeting at UFC 323. Their first fight ended in heartbreaking fashion for Pantoja.
Just moments into the opening round, the Brazilian landed awkwardly during an exchange, causing his arm to pop out and forcing the referee to wave off the contest. The freak injury cost him the title without Van ever getting the chance to truly beat him inside the cage.
Now fully recovered, Pantoja gets the opportunity to reclaim the belt. Before the injury, he had won eight straight fights, capturing the flyweight championship and defending it four times to establish himself as one of the division’s greatest champions. While Pantoja was on the sidelines, Van made sure to keep the belt active.
The Burmese star successfully defended his title in a thrilling battle against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 in May and now has the chance to silence any remaining doubts about his reign when he faces the former champion again on September 19.
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The co-main event features the return of Arman Tsarukyan, who takes on the dangerous Mauricio Ruffy. Tsarukyan hasn’t fought in the UFC since submitting Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar in November 2025. Over the past nine months, he competed outside the promotion in RAF against opponents like Colby Covington and Georgio Pollas.
Now he’s back in the Octagon looking to extend his five-fight winning streak, which already includes victories over Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush and Hooker. Another win could put him in line for a lightweight title shot against Justin Gaethje. Interestingly, Tsarukyan wasn’t originally supposed to fight Ruffy.
He had reportedly been booked to face Oliveira before tragedy struck. The Brazilian withdrew following the death of his longtime teammate Allan Nascimento, who passed away after suffering an apparent heart attack in his sleep on August 3, 2026, at the age of 34. The news was first reported by veteran MMA journalists, including Kevin K (@realkevink), and later confirmed by Marcel Dorff in his UFC 331 report.
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With Oliveira stepping away to grieve, Ruffy accepted the opportunity on short notice in what will now be a five-round co-main event. The Brazilian enters the biggest fight of his career after scoring back-to-back knockout wins over Rafael Fiziev and Michael Chandler earlier this year. A Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus, Ruffy is 5-1 inside the UFC, with his only defeat coming against Benoit Saint-Denis.
The rest of the UFC 331 lineup includes:
- Main Event: Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja (UFC Flyweight Championship)
- Co-Main Event: Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy
- Doo Ho Choi vs. Patricio Freire
- Renato Moicano vs. Brian Ortega
- Iwo Baraniewski vs. Alonzo Menifield
- Sean Sharaf vs. Gable Steveson
- Charles Jourdain vs. Marlon Vera
- Robelis Despaigne vs. Tai Tuivasa
- Brunno Ferreira vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
- Joanderson Brito vs. Giga Chikadze
- Casey O’Neill vs. Eduarda Moura
- Ozzy Diaz vs. Ryan Gandra
- Michael Aswell Jr. vs. Joosang Yoo
With an unfinished title rivalry headlining the card, Tsarukyan returning in a high-stakes co-main event, and several fan-friendly matchups throughout, UFC 331 is shaping up to be one of the strongest cards of the fall when it lands at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on September 19.
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.
