Van Outpoints Pantoja to Retain UFC Flyweight Title

Joshua Van retained the UFC flyweight world title with a unanimous-decision victory over former champion Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331 in Los Angeles. The judges returned scores of 49-46, 48-47 and 50-45 after a five-round contest that turned on a late knockdown.

Pantoja on fire, Van finds his footing

Pantoja started fast at Crypto.com Arena, taking the fight to the champion and finding success in grappling and striking. An accidental clash of heads in round two opened a cut on the challenger, but referee Herb Dean let the action continue. Van steadied himself in the middle rounds, landing the cleaner strikes and limiting Pantoja's time in dominant positions.

The fourth round brought a fresh test when Pantoja put the 24-year-old Myanmar-born champion on the canvas. He could not advance or generate meaningful offence and the fight felt deadlocked heading into the final frame.

A one-two in the fifth settles everything

Van took control in the fifth, stalking Pantoja and landing in combination. Van nearly finished the fight there, but Pantoja survived to the final bell.

The champion landed 259 of 392 significant strikes, compared to 159 of 300 for Pantoja, a mark of the pressure he sustained. “I always want to stay active. If I’m gonna be training all the time, why not fight all the time, right?" "That’s kind of my mindset.”

The victory was Van's second successful title defence, coming four months after a fifth‑round stoppage of Tatsuro Taira. It erased the hollow taste of the pair's first meeting at UFC 323, a bout that ended in under 30 seconds when Pantoja suffered an arm injury. This time Van left no doubt.