Van and Pantoja rematch set for UFC 331 in September

The UFC has officially announced Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight title at UFC 331 on September 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, according to ESPN's Top Lines. The rematch will headline a card that includes Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy as a five-round lightweight co-main event.

Van holds the 125-pound championship after defeating Pantoja by first-round TKO in December. That victory came under unusual circumstances: Pantoja suffered a freak elbow injury in the opening seconds when bracing to catch himself on the mat after Van caught an early kick.

Van (17-2) has repeatedly expressed interest in running back the matchup to silence any doubt about his status as champion. He defended the belt once, against Tatsuro Taira in May. Pantoja's record stands at 30-6 per ESPN's reporting.

The co-main event features Tsarukyan (23-3), the No. 2-ranked lightweight, against Ruffy (14-2), who is ranked No. 7 at the division. Tsarukyan, 29, is widely seen as the most deserving No. 1 lightweight title challenger, according to ESPN's Top Lines. He last fought in November in a second-round submission win over Dan Hooker and is currently riding a five-fight win streak. Tsarukyan had been scheduled to challenge then-champion Islam Makhachev for the title in January 2025 but was forced to withdraw the week of the fight because of back spasms.

Ruffy, a Brazilian fighter, is 5-1 in the UFC with four knockouts and is considered one of the most dangerous new title prospects at lightweight.

The Bottom Line: The Van-Pantoja rematch settles the legitimacy question around a controversial first title fight, while Tsarukyan and Ruffy present a heavyweight lightweight test on the same card. Watch for any adjustments in Van's approach after the injury-marred first encounter and whether Tsarukyan's lengthy layoff affects his performance.