Joshua Van Retains Flyweight Title in 25-Minute War at UFC 331; Sean Sharaf Scores 12-Second Upset

Joshua Van walked into the Crypto.com Arena on Saturday night carrying a championship belt that some felt he had not fully earned. He walked out of it as the undisputed king of the 125-pound division. In the main event of UFC 331 on September 19, 2026, the 24-year-old Myanmar native and Houston resident defeated former champion Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision, settling the score in a 25-minute war that tested both men's limits.[1][3]

The stakes for the rematch were uniquely high. When Van first captured the flyweight title from Pantoja at UFC 323 last December, the bout ended in just 26 seconds due to an accidental elbow dislocation suffered by the Brazilian. That anticlimactic finish left a lingering asterisk over Van's reign. Saturday's five-round classic erased it entirely.

Van eliminated all doubt by showcasing superior takedown defense, speed, and striking. The scorecards reflected a clear victory for the young titleholder: 49-46, 48-47, and a slightly wide 50-45. The judges rewarded Van for doing significantly more damage in the stand-up department, even as the challenger tried to drag the fight to the mat.[2]

Pantoja, 36, came out firing in the opening frame, intent on reclaiming the throne he defended four times before running into Van. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt managed to secure five of his 18 takedown attempts and racked up over nine minutes of control time. But Van's defense held up during the pivotal grappling exchanges, minimizing the damage and forcing the fight back to the feet where he held a distinct advantage.[1]

The striking numbers tell the story of the fight's momentum. Van outlanded Pantoja 181 to 147 in significant strikes, and 259 to 159 in total strikes. The champion punctuated his performance with a strong fifth round, dropping the rugged Brazilian veteran with a crisp left hand to seal the decision. The victory pushes Van's professional record to 18-2, while Pantoja falls to 30-7 after suffering back-to-back losses for the first time in his career.

While the main event delivered a grueling marathon, the rest of the main card was defined by sudden, violent sprints. The most shocking moment of the night—and perhaps the year—belonged to unheralded heavyweight Sean Sharaf, who pulled off a colossal upset against Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson.[2]

Steveson entered the Octagon as a staggering -2400 betting favorite, widely viewed as the inevitable future of the heavyweight division. Sharaf needed exactly 12 seconds to rewrite that script. As Steveson opened with a leg kick and reached out to parry incoming strikes, Sharaf looped a left hook clean over the top, catching the wrestler flush on the chin.

The shot sent Steveson crashing to the canvas, where follow-up strikes forced the referee to intervene. "I feel amazing," Sharaf said in his post-fight interview. "I worked so hard. I prayed so hard. I believed in myself when nobody believed in myself." The 12-second finish ties for the third-fastest heavyweight knockout in UFC history and sends Steveson back to the drawing board in only his second professional MMA bout.

In the co-main event, Arman Tsarukyan stamped his ticket for a lightweight title shot against Justin Gaethje. The 29-year-old contender destroyed Mauricio Ruffy with a pair of brutal elbows at the 4:56 mark of the first round. The knockout extends Tsarukyan's winning streak to six and cements his status as the division's clear-cut number one contender.[1][4]

The Los Angeles crowd also witnessed a vintage performance from 39-year-old Patricio "Pitbull" Freire. The former two-division Bellator champion earned his first stoppage victory inside the Octagon, starching Dooho Choi with a crushing right hand at 3:28 of the opening round.[1]

Further down the card, Marlon "Chito" Vera snapped a grueling four-fight losing streak by stopping Charles Jourdain via third-round TKO, while heavyweight Tai Tuivasa suffered his eighth consecutive defeat in a split-decision loss to Robelis Despaigne.[2]

UFC 331 will be remembered as the night Joshua Van proved his championship mettle. By surviving the deep waters against one of the greatest flyweights in the promotion's history, Van did not just defend his title—he validated the era he is building.