Van silences 'accident win' doubters with dominant UFC 331 flyweight title defence over Pantoja

Joshua Van cemented his standing as the UFC’s undisputed flyweight champion with a commanding unanimous decision over Alexandre Pantoja in the main event of UFC 331 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The judges scored the five-round contest 49-46, 49-47 and 50-45 for Van, earning the pair Fight of the Night honours.

The rematch carried significant weight given the circumstances of their first encounter, which ended anticlimactically when a first-round arm injury to Pantoja forced a referee stoppage. That finish left a cloud over Van’s title reign, a point he addressed bluntly in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.

“A lot of people say that was an accident win the first time,” Van said. “Now, doubt me now. Shout out to Pantoja. Nothing but respect for me. He’s a tough man. He’s hard to finish. I did my submission, but I don’t know how the hell he got out of that. I usually, with that move, I get everybody in the gym, but I don’t know how the hell he got out of that.”

Van had defended his title against Tatsuro Taira between the two Pantoja fights, but sceptics continued to question whether he was truly the best 125-pounder in the world while the former champion recovered from injury. Saturday night’s performance offered a definitive answer.

Throughout the contest Van landed consistent significant strikes while largely neutralising Pantoja’s grappling game. He also threatened with a submission attempt of his own, though Pantoja — a former champion with a reputation for toughness — managed to escape. The Brazilian’s resilience was acknowledged by Van, who praised him as one of the hardest fighters to finish in the division.

The victory reinforces Van’s position at the top of the flyweight rankings and raises the question of who steps up as the next legitimate challenger in a division that now has a clear, undisputed king.