LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 19: (L-R) Joshua Van of Myanmar punches Alexandre Pantoja of Brazil in the UFC flyweight championship fight during the UFC 331 event at Crypto.com Arena on September 19, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Zuffa LLC
Joshua Van just delivered one of the best performances in recent UFC flyweight history. After getting his UFC flyweight title in less-than-glorious fashion in 2025 after Alexandre Pantoja injured his elbow within 26 seconds of the first fight, Van left no doubt on Saturday night.
In the UFC 331 main event, Van handled Pantoja’s relentless grappling and picked him apart in the stand-up exchanges. Van was up on all three scorecards in the final round, but the champion defended his title in dominant fashion. Van didn’t get the stoppage, but he did win all five rounds on card and four on the other two en route to a unanimous-decision victory.
Pantoja brought everything he had in his toolbox in an attempt to wrestle his title back from Van, but the champion was ready for everything that came his way. It was a great fight and an even better performance from Van.
The main event battle won the Fight of the Night bonus.
Arman Tsarukyan defeats Mauricio Ruffy via First-Round TKO
Tsarukyan shined bright in the co-main event. With a title shot at 155 pounds likely on the line, Tsarukyan scored a highlight-reel KO victory over Mauricio Ruffy. Two nasty elbows knocked Ruffy unconscious.
There is talk of Justin Gaethje’s first defense being a rematch against Ilia Topuria. No one will argue if that is the call, but likewise, we shouldn’t hear any complaints if Tsarukyan gets the nod after this win.Tsarukyan took home one of the $100,000 Performance of the Night bonuses.
Here is a look at all of the results and bonus winners from UFC 331.
| Card | Weight Class | Matchup | Winner | Method/Round | Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main | Flyweight title | Joshua Van (c) vs. Alexandre Pantoja | Van | Unanimous Decision – 50-45, 49-46×2 | FOTN – $100K to each fighter |
| Main | Lightweight, 5 rounds | Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy | Tsarukyan | KO – Round 1 | POTN – $100K |
| Main | Featherweight | Patricio Pitbull vs. Dooho Choi | Pitbull | TKO – Round 1 | $25K Finish Bonus |
| Main | Heavyweight | Gable Steveson vs. Sean Sharaf | Sharaf | KO – Round 1 | $100K Proper Chaos and Special |
| Main | Light heavyweight | Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski | Menifield | Split Decision – 29-28×2, 28-29 | |
| Prelims | Bantamweight | Marlon Vera vs. Charles Jourdain | Vera | TKO – Round 3 | $25K Finish Bonus |
| Prelims | Heavyweight | Tai Tuivasa vs. Robelis Despaigne | Despaigne | Split Decision – 29-28×2, 28-29 | |
| Prelims | Featherweight | Michael Aswell Jr. vs. Joo Sang Yoo | Aswell | Split Decision – 29-28×2, 28-29 | |
| Prelims | Middleweight | Ryan Gandra vs. Ozzy Diaz | Gandra | TKO – Round 1 | $25K Finish Bonus |
| Early prelims | Middleweight | Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Brunno Ferreira | Shahbazyan | Unanimous Decision – 29-28×2, 30-27 | |
| Early prelims | Women’s flyweight | Casey O’Neill vs. Eduarda Moura | O’Neill | Submission – Round 1 | POTN – $100K |
| Early prelims | Featherweight | Giga Chikadze vs. Joanderson Brito | Brito | TKO – Round 1 | $25K Finish Bonus |
Aside from the main and co-main event results, arguably the most memorable finish came from Sean Sharaf. The heavyweight pulled off the biggest upset in UFC history when he shockingly knocked out Gable Steveson in the first round. It was the third-fastest KO in UFC heavyweight history. Take a look.
Sharaf earned the Proper Bonus and special additional bonus from Dana White bringing his total bonus money to $100,000. The other performance of the night bonus landed with Casey O’Neill. The women’s flyweight contender pulled off one of the slickest submission wins of the year as she arm barred Eduarda Mourda during the prelims.
Take a look at the arm bar that earned O’Neill $100,000.
The other fighters on the car who earned $25,000 bonuses for winning by finish were Joanderson Brito, Ryan Gandra, Marlon Vera and Patricio Pitbull. Here is a look at all of the finishes from UFC 331.
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