Joshua Van left no room for doubt this time.
Nine months after winning the UFC flyweight championship under bizarre circumstances, the Myanmar-born champion went the full five rounds with former champion Alexandre Pantoja and delivered the kind of performance that firmly established him as a legitimate champion.
Van defeated Pantoja by unanimous decision, 49-46, 48-47 and 50-45, in the main event of UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja 2 on September 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
The victory marked Van's second successful title defense and settled the unfinished business from their first meeting at UFC 323.
This time, there were no questions
Their first fight lasted just 26 seconds.
Pantoja suffered an elbow injury after Van caught his kick and brought him down, forcing the referee to stop the contest. Van officially became champion, but because the fight ended almost immediately, the victory left plenty of debate over what might have happened if both men had been healthy.
The rematch was supposed to provide that answer.
And it did.
Pantoja immediately showed that he wasn't interested in allowing Van to dictate the fight. The former champion took Van down early and briefly found himself in a dominant position.
But Van responded.
The 24-year-old champion exploded out of the position, got back to his feet and eventually turned the tables, setting up what became a fascinating battle between Van's fast, precise boxing and Pantoja's Muay Thai, clinch work and grappling.
The fight remained competitive through the middle rounds, but Van's speed, movement and defensive awareness increasingly became a problem for Pantoja.
In the fourth round, Pantoja found success on the ground, but Van continued to limit the damage and avoid extended control.
Then came the championship fifth.
Van took over with combinations, pressure and excellent takedown defense. He even threatened with a submission attempt, showing that his game was no longer limited to his striking.
By the final bell, there was little doubt that the champion had delivered a completely different performance from the one that first put the belt around his waist.
UFC's official report described the fight as an "absolute barnburner," with Van becoming the clear winner after being the more active and effective fighter in the championship rounds.
Van: "Don't let your circumstance define your life"
After the fight, Van directly addressed the criticism surrounding his first victory.
"Don't let your circumstance define your life."
He also acknowledged that many people considered his first win an accidental victory and said the rematch was an opportunity to prove himself.
Van showed respect to Pantoja after the fight, calling the former champion tough and acknowledging that he had actually secured Pantoja's arm during his submission attempt.
"I just wanted to prove a point," Van said.
And that point was made over 25 minutes instead of 26 seconds.
From an injury victory to a championship statement
Van's rapid rise has been remarkable.
The Myanmar-born fighter captured the UFC flyweight championship at UFC 323 after Pantoja's injury ended their first meeting. UFC's official profile lists Van as the only Myanmar-born fighter to compete in the UFC.
But Van's title reign did not stop there.
He followed the controversial circumstances of his championship victory with a dramatic fifth-round stoppage of Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328, successfully defending the belt in a fight that showcased his ability to survive difficult positions and maintain a high offensive pace late in a fight.
Now he has beaten Pantoja over five rounds.
The story is considerably different.
Pantoja's comeback falls short
For Pantoja, UFC 331 was an opportunity to reclaim the championship and become only the third UFC flyweight champion to regain the belt after losing it, following Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo.
Instead, the Brazilian veteran leaves Los Angeles without the title.
Pantoja had previously defended the flyweight championship four times before losing the belt to Van through the injury stoppage.
He showed flashes of the former champion who dominated the division, particularly with his grappling and clinch work, but Van's speed and ability to reset the fight repeatedly prevented Pantoja from sustaining control.
Tsarukyan delivers another statement
The co-main event produced another major talking point.
Arman Tsarukyan knocked out Mauricio Ruffy with elbows at 4:56 of the first round, ending the fight just seconds before the opening bell.
Tsarukyan absorbed a clean right hand early and initially looked to his wrestling. Ruffy defended the takedown attempts well, but the Armenian eventually found his opening against the fence.
Two quick elbows landed cleanly.
Ruffy was out.
The victory extended Tsarukyan's winning streak to six fights, with four of his last five victories coming inside the distance, according to UFC.
After the fight, Tsarukyan made it clear that he wants the lightweight championship next.
And he wasn't exactly limiting his callouts.
"I needed that finish," Tsarukyan said, before jokingly adding that he wanted to fight for the title—or even Mark Zuckerberg.
Sean Sharaf shocks Gable Steveson
One of the biggest surprises of the night came just 12 seconds into the main card.
Sean Sharaf knocked out Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson with a left hand, producing one of the night's most shocking results.
Steveson entered the bout with an elite wrestling pedigree, but MMA doesn't always follow the script.
Sharaf stepped into the pocket and landed a clean left hand that ended the fight almost instantly.
The upset earned Sharaf the $50,000 Chaos Bonus from Mobland, which UFC President Dana White matched, bringing the total to $100,000.
Pitbull makes a statement
Former Bellator champion Patricio "Pitbull" Freire also produced a memorable performance, stopping Korean veteran Dooho Choi with strikes at 3:28 of the opening round.
Pitbull landed a clean right hand that hurt Choi before finishing the fight on the ground.
It was another reminder that the Brazilian veteran remains a dangerous presence in the UFC featherweight division. UFC noted that this was his best UFC performance to date and moved him to 2-2 inside the Octagon.
Chito Vera gets back in the win column
Former bantamweight title challenger Marlon "Chito" Vera also ended a difficult stretch with a third-round TKO victory over Charles Jourdain.
The win snapped a four-fight losing streak for Vera and gave the veteran a much-needed victory. UFC's official report described the performance as a return to form, with Vera gradually taking control of the fight before forcing the stoppage at 2:02 of Round 3.
Other notable results included:
- Robelis Despaigne def. Tai Tuivasa — split decision
- Michael Aswell Jr. def. JooSang Yoo — split decision
- Ryan Gandra def. Ozzy Diaz — KO, Round 1
- Edmen Shahbazyan def. Brunno Ferreira — unanimous decision
- Casey O'Neill def. Eduarda Moura — armbar, Round 1
- Joanderson Brito def. Giga Chikadze — KO, Round 1
Brito's finish came after Chikadze slipped while attempting a head kick, allowing the Brazilian to capitalize with ground-and-pound. O'Neill also produced one of the night's most impressive submissions, escaping a D'Arce choke before transitioning into an armbar.
UFC 331 breaks Crypto.com Arena gate record
The action inside the Octagon was matched by the crowd outside it.
UFC announced an attendance of 19,357, a sellout at Crypto.com Arena.
The event generated an announced gate of US$8.3 million, making UFC 331 the highest-grossing event in the arena's history.
The bottom line
UFC 331 was supposed to answer one question:
Was Joshua Van really the champion?
After 25 minutes against Alexandre Pantoja, the answer is much clearer.
Van didn't win because of an injury.
He didn't win because the fight ended early.
He won because he outworked, outstruck and defended himself against one of the division's most accomplished fighters over five rounds.
The 24-year-old champion now has two successful title defenses and has put together wins over Pantoja and Tatsuro Taira.
Whatever questions surrounded his first championship victory, Joshua Van has now answered them inside the Octagon.
This time, there was no accident. There was no shortcut. There was no controversy over how the fight ended.
There were five rounds.
And Joshua Van was still the champion when they were over.
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