Joshua Van defends title with brilliant 5-round performance over Alexandre Pantoja in UFC 331 main event

Joshua Van defended his flyweight title with a brilliant five-round performance over Alexandre Pantoja in the UFC 331 main event, securing a unanimous decision victory that left no doubt about his status as the division's premier fighter. The 24-year-old champion controlled the fight through superior boxing, hand speed, and tactical positioning over 25 minutes of intense competition. Van claimed the victory with judges' scores of 49–46, 49–46, and 50–45, marking his second consecutive title defense. Van's approach remained methodical while Pantoja relied on wrestling and heavy striking. Early on, Pantoja secured mount position and threatened submissions, but Van escaped with explosive reversals. As the fight progressed, Van's hand combinations and footwork created increasing separation. Pantoja continued mixing takedowns with striking but couldn't sustain control or damage output against Van's defensive acumen. In the fourth round, despite Pantoja securing another takedown, Van gave him little room to work. By round five, Van attacked aggressively with combinations; with less than two minutes remaining, he landed a spectacular combination that sent Pantoja to the canvas and threatened the finish before time expired. Van credited Pantoja's toughness in victory, noting his opponent's remarkable escapes from submission attempts. The performance reinforced Van as not only the top flyweight but one of the UFC's elite pound-for-pound fighters, following his previous title defense against Tatsuro Taira in May.