Alexandre Pantoja promises Joshua Van is ‘going to suffer’ at UFC 331

Alexandre Pantoja is preparing for redemption at UFC 331, where he will face Joshua Van in a flyweight title rematch. Van captured Pantoja's belt in December when he stopped the Brazilian just 26 seconds into their first encounter due to a broken arm that left Pantoja unable to continue. Since that loss, Pantoja has recovered and trained extensively while Van defended his title against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328.

Pantoja has made clear that the rivalry has turned personal, and he intends to impose his will and frustration on Van inside the octagon. "Every fight is different," Pantoja said at the UFC 331 weigh-ins. "It's never the same one and I'm not the same guy. I'm very mature now, I'm a father of two kids, and tomorrow night I'm glad this kid's not mine because he's going to suffer."

Before losing to Van, Pantoja was in the midst of a championship run for the ages, with dominant victories over Brandon Moreno, Brandon Royval, Manel Kape, Alex Perez, Kai Asakura, and Kai Kara-France. His career record shows nearly equal methods of victory: eight knockouts, twelve submissions, and ten decisions, giving him flexibility across striking and grappling. While Pantoja acknowledged that Van possesses significant striking skills, he expressed confidence in his own striking arsenal and questioned whether Van is truly ready for his grappling game. "I don't know if Joshua Van can stand up with me for five rounds, good for him or not, but I'm ready to war," Pantoja said. "I'm ready to enjoy."