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Alexandre Pantoja praises Joshua Van, but vows to settle 'unfinished business' in near future: "I don't think he beat me"

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Alexandre Pantoja praises Joshua Van, but vows to settle 'unfinished business' in near future: "I don't think he beat me"

Alexandre Pantoja thinks Joshua Van has handled himself well as the UFC Flyweight Champion, but he wants to settle things with the bruiser from Myanmar.

Pantoja has been out of action since suffering an injury early in his late 2025 tilt with Van. Going into the bout, Pantoja was the reigning 125-pound titleholder, but he suffered a freak injury when he landed badly on his arm and suffered a dislocation after Van caught a kick attempt. Van was awarded the UFC Flyweight Championship.

During an interview with MMAFighting.com, Pantoja said he's cleared to get back in action, and he plans to challenge for the title he held for over two years.

“I'm ready,†Pantoja said. “After December, what happened to my arm, two days after that, I went to the gym, started training with just one arm. That's who I am. I'm not done. I'm not done. I have so much to conquer. I have so much to prove. And when you have the belt, your words [mean more]. I want to take the belt again. I want to be UFC champion one more time and keep talking to good things, about the world and things I saw in my life, make people happy. That's what I want.â€

Pantoja has nothing but praise for Van, lauding the champion's efforts in his TKO finish over Tatsuro Taira back in May. Even so, Pantoja doesn't feel that Van truly defeated him, and he wants a definitive answer when the two eventually collide in a rematch.

“Of course, I have unfinished business with Joshua Van. Like, as an athlete, I know I lost the fight. That happened. But like a man, I don't think he beat me.â€

Who would you favor in a rematch between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja? Let your voice be heard in the comments below.

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Anything but Fighting: Edmen Shahbazyan answers random questions

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Anything but Fighting: Edmen Shahbazyan answers random questions

LOS ANGELES — UFC middleweight contender Edmen Shahbazyan joins MMA Fighting's Jose Youngs on #AnythingButFighting to talk about his favorite movies, music, foods, concerts, and more.

Shahbazyan (16-6) is looking to get back into the win column against Brunno Ferreira on the preliminary card of UFC 331. “The Golden Boy†previously dropped a unanimous decision win to Brendan Allen, snapping his three-fight win streak in the process. To date, Shahbazyan holds notable wins over Andre Petroski, André Muniz, Jack Hermansson, Brad Tavares, and Jack Marshman.

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Dana White says Ciryl Gane won’t be promoted to undisputed champion: ‘He’s still got to fight’

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Dana White says Ciryl Gane won’t be promoted to undisputed champion: ‘He’s still got to fight’

Ciryl Gane is NOT the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.

On Monday, Tom Aspinall vacated his UFC heavyweight title after reinjuring his eyes in training, forcing him out of action indefinitely. As such, many expected that interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane — the man who caused Aspinall's original eye injuries when he poked him during their heavyweight title fight at UFC 321 — would be elevated to undisputed champion and then defend his belt; but not so fast.

“Does it make him the undisputed champion?†White asked when questioned about Gane. “No. He's still got to fight.â€

White added that he expects Gane's next fight, the bout for the title of undisputed champion, will be announced “very soon.â€

Ostensibly, Aspinall could face the winner of whatever that potential bout is, should he be ready to return to action by then. But White has no timeline on when that might be.

“I don't [know],†White said when asked how long Aspinall's will be out for. “Obviously, whenever he feels healthy again, whenever his eyes are healed, then we're ready for him.â€

Gane won the interim heavyweight title with a TKO win over Alex Pereira at UFC White House this summer. It was expected that Gane and Aspinall would unify their titles in a rematch this year, before Aspinall's setback ended those plans.

As for the rest of the heavyweight division, Aspinall's latest update seems to have left the UFC scrambling, with White not having a clear path forward, but saying the UFC will figure it out.

“We'll see how this whole thing plays out with Aspinall,†White said. “Ciryl will fight, and we'll see who becomes the champion. This isn't like this is the first time this has ever happened, and it's happening right now with Valentina Shevchenko, too. This is nothing new. This happens sometimes, and it's unfortunate. Not the best outcome, but it is what it is.â€

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UFC 331 start time, fight card for Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2

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UFC 331 start time, fight card for Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2

There is a massive UFC title rematch to headline UFC 331 on Saturday night.

UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van makes his second title defense in another showdown with former UFC champion Alexandre Pantoja. In their first encounter, Pantoja injured his elbow in the opening round at UFC 323, leading to a knockout loss to Van and losing his UFC title.

Van and Pantoja are expected to make their walk to the UFC 331 cage around 11:30 p.m ET.

Arman Tsarukyan also has a massive fight at UFC 331 when he faces talented lightweight Mauricio Ruffy in a five-round affair with a possible UFC title shot on the line. Tsarukyan last fought in the UFC at UFC Qatar this past November when he submitted Dan Hooker in the second round via arm-triangle choke.

Check out the UFC 331 fight card below.

UFC 331 Main Card (Paramount+ at 9 p.m. ET)

Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2

Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy

Patricio Pitbull vs. Doo Ho Choi

Gable Steveson vs. Sean Sharaf

Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski

UFC 331 Prelims (Paramount+ at 7 p.m. ET)

Marlon Vera vs. Charles Jourdain

Tai Tuivasa vs. Robelis Despaigne

Michael Aswell vs. Joo Sang Yoo

Ryan Gandra vs. Ozzy Diaz

UFC 331 Early Prelims (Paramount+ at 5:30 p.m. ET)

Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Brunno Ferreira

Casey O'Neill vs. Eduarda Moura

Giga Chikadze vs. Joanderson Brito

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