Joshua Van Carves Up Alexandre Pantoja to Retain UFC Flyweight Champion at UFC 331

Joshua Van successfully defended his UFC flyweight title in dominant fashion at UFC 331, defeating Alexandre Pantoja via unanimous decision in the main event on September 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The judges scored the bout 49-46, 49-47, and 50-45 in Van's favor, marking his second successful title defense.

Pantoja (30-7), the former champion, never surrendered despite mounting pressure from Van throughout the five-round affair. The Brazilian threw caution to the wind down the stretch as fatigue set in, absorbing heavy strikes while refusing to quit until the final bell. Van's relentless forward pressure and output proved decisive, allowing him to capture a clear verdict and prove himself as the legitimate flyweight champion.

On the co-main event, Arman Tsarukyan (24-3) decisively earned his claim as the next lightweight title challenger with a first-round knockout of Mauricio Ruffy (14-3) at 4:56. After surviving an early sizzling right hand, Tsarukyan controlled the fight through wrestling, then switched from a takedown attempt to a flush left elbow that hurt Ruffy badly. A follow-up right elbow sealed the knockout.

Former two-time Bellator champion Patricio Freire (38-9) also impressed, stopping Doo Ho Choi (17-5-1) with a first-round TKO at 3:20. Freire's relentless striking battered Choi before a powerful right hand froze him, followed by a devastating left uppercut that put him down. Referee Mike Beltran stopped it on the ground.

In a shocking upset, Sean Sharaf (5-2) flattened Olympic gold medalist and heavily favored Gable Stevenson with a perfect counter left hook just 12 seconds into their heavyweight bout, handing Stevenson his first professional loss. Alonzo Menifield (19-6-1) weathered an early storm and split decision win over Iwo Baraniewski (9-1) via scores of 29-28 (twice) and 28-29.

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