Connect with us

MMA

Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2, Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy set as full UFC 331 card revealed

Published

3 weeks ago

on

Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2, Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy set as full UFC 331 card revealed

The main event for UFC 331 is finally set with Joshua Van defending his flyweight title in a rematch against former champion Alexandre Pantoja, who is now healthy and ready to compete again.

In the co-main event, Arman Tsarukyan faces Mauricio Ruffy in a five-round fight between lightweights who are both jockeying for a title shot against current champion Justin Gaethje.

The main event features Pantoja making his return to action after a freak injury ended his dominant title reign in his first fight against Van in 2025. Pantoja fell awkwardly during an exchange and his arm popped, which forced the fight to be stopped in the opening round.

While he recovered, Van took over as UFC flyweight champion and made a successful defense of his title in a potential Fight of the Year candidate against Tatsuro Taira in May. Now Van looks to settle any debates about his championship reign when he faces Pantoja in a rematch now scheduled for September.

In the co-main event, widely considered the top lightweight contender in the UFC, Tsarukyan returns after spending the better part of the past year making a name for himself in RAF where he's been wrestling almost every month. Now he gets back to business in the UFC trying to build on his five-fight win streak, which includes wins over Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush and Dan Hooker.

As for Ruffy, he looks to carry the momentum from a standout performance at the UFC White House card where he demolished Michael Chandler to extend his winning streak to three in a row overall when he returns at UFC 331.

In addition to the main and co-main events, the rest of the UFC 331 card was also announced, although the full bout order is still to be determined. Take a look below at all of the fights now official for UFC 331 in Los Angeles on Sept. 19

MAIN EVENT: Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja

CO-MAIN EVENT: Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy

Patricio Pitbull vs. Dooho Choi

Renato Moicano vs. Brian Ortega

Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski

Gable Steveson vs. Sean Sharaf

Marlon Vera vs. Charles Jourdain

Tai Tuivasa vs. Robelis Despaigne

Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Brunno Ferreira

Giga Chikadze vs. Joanderson Brito

Casey O'Neill vs. Eduarda Moura

Ryan Gandra vs. Ozzy Diaz

Michael Aswell Jr. vs. Joosang Yoo

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

MMA

Umar Nurmagomedov wants Merab Dvalishvili next: Now its personal

Published

8 minutes ago

on

August 26, 2026

By

Umar Nurmagomedov wants Merab Dvalishvili next: 'Now it's personal'
Umar
Nurmagomedov is targeting a rematch with Merab
Dvalishvili.

Nurmagomedov suffered the first loss of his professional career
when Dvalishvili defeated him by unanimous decision in January last
year in their
Ultimate Fighting Championship title bout. The Russian is eager
to run it back with “The Machine†and wants to fight him next,
regardless of the outcome of the latter’s
UFC 333 title fight against Petr Yan.

Umar Nurmagomedov wants revenge against Merab Dvalishvili after
facing Yadong Song at UFC Shanghai

The tension between Nurmagomedov and Dvalishvili has only grown
since their first meeting. The former is set to face Yadong Song
at
UFC Shanghai on Aug. 29, and while he's focused on his upcoming
bout, the Dagestani wants revenge for his loss to the former
champ.

“First of all, of course I have to win this fight,†Nurmagomedov
told MMA Junkie. “Then I will fight with Merab, if he will win or
if he will lose, I think we’re going to fight.â€

Dvalishvili notably questioned whether Nurmagomedov had earned a
title shot in the first place before their clash and has repeatedly
pointed to favoritism aiding the Russian, with Umar being the
cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib
Nurmagomedov.

The rivalry took another turn after Dvalishvili was involved in an
altercation with Nurmagomedov’s friend, Ahmed Gadzhimagomedov, at a
recent Real American Freestyle event in Georgia. When asked if
their feud is personal, Nurmagomedov confirmed the same.

“Is it personal? I think yes,†Nurmagomedov continued. “Already
yes. Now it’s personal. Now it’s personal not just for me. It’s
personal for all of Dagestan.â€


Continue Reading

MMA

Alex Apodaca reacts to historic DWCS upset over -6000 favorite Bella Mir

Published

2 hours ago

on

August 26, 2026

By

Alex Apodaca reacts to historic DWCS upset over -6000 favorite Bella Mir
Alex
Apodaca didn't want to be affected by the odds going into her

Dana White's Contender Series outing against Bella
Mir.

Apodaca (5-1) took on Mir (4-1), daughter of former
Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Frank Mir, in a
bantamweight tilt on
Week 3 of DWCS 2026. Mir was a -6000 favorite, the biggest in
DWCS history, going into her clash against Apodaca, a +1200
underdog.

However, it was clear that the odds were off as soon as Apodaca
defended the first takedown.

Alex Apodaca earned a UFC contract after beating Bella Mir in
the biggest upset in DWCS history

Apodaca gave Mir all she could handle in a highly competitive
affair, establishing control in the final round to earn a unanimous
decision victory. The former earned a UFC contract for the biggest
upset in DWCS history, and after the bout, she revealed that she
avoided looking at the odds to stay focused on the high-profile
matchup.

“I didn’t want to look at the odds before; I knew they were some
bullsh*t,†Apodaca said in her post-fight interview. “I just truly
believe if I stay present and in the moment that I can see
everything and nobody is going to beat me. Cause I’m pretty
technical, and I’m strong as f*ck.â€

Notably, while giving Apodaca the contract, UFC CEO Dana
White admitted that he was heavily biased towards Mir, having
been involved in the latter's combat sports career.

Continue Reading

MMA

DWCS winner Joseph Kropschot lands UFC debut just weeks after earning contract

Published

3 hours ago

on

August 26, 2026

By

DWCS winner Joseph Kropschot lands UFC debut just weeks after earning contract
Joseph
Kropschot won’t have to wait long for his
Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.

The
Dana White's Contender Series Season 10
Week 1 contract winner has been booked to face Nick Klein
at a UFC
Fight Night on Oct. 31 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas.

Joseph Kropschot faces Nick Klein at UFC Fight Night on Oct.
31

Kropschot earned his UFC contract on Aug. 11, defeating Jonathan
Kunneman by unanimous decision after three rounds on the
opening episode of the 2026 Contender Series season. He boasts a
9-3 professional record in mixed martial arts and has won his last
five fights. His contract-winning effort on DWCS marks the lone
decision win of his career.

Meanwhile, Klein owns a 6-3 professional record and has not
competed since a technical knockout loss to Andrey
Pulyaev in August 2025. He lost to Mansur
Abdul-Malik in his UFC debut after earning a contract on DWCS
in 2024.

The upcoming matchup gives Kropschot an opportunity to build on his
Contender Series debut and officially begin his UFC tenure. For
Klein, it offers a chance to snap a two-fight losing streak and
record his first win in the UFC.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending