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UFC 331 | Pro fighters make their picks for Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2 flyweight title fight

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UFC 331 | Pro fighters make their picks for Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2 flyweight title fight
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The UFC heads to Los Angeles, California on Saturday, September 19 for a solid UFC 331 card. In the main event, Joshua Van defends his flyweight title in a rematch against former champ Alexandre Pantoja. Heading into the fight, Van is a -136 favorite, while the former champ is a +106 underdog on FanDuel.

Ahead of the bout at UFC 331, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the flyweight title fight. The pros slightly lean towards Pantoja reclaiming his belt, but as the odds suggest, they expect it to be a close fight and are torn on it.

BJPENN.com Fighter Picks Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2:

Dan Ige, UFC bantamweight: I'm going to pick Van. It will be a close fight. I picked Pantoja in the first fight, but Van has impressed me, and he's getting better every fight. I'm going with Van.

Modestas Bukauskas, UFC light heavyweight: Joshua Van gets it done again.

Gillian Robertson, UFC strawweight: With Van's last fight, I didn't like what I saw in the grappling. I think Pantoja will get it to the ground and dominate.

Cody Durden, UFC flyweight: Have to go with my guy Pantoja. I've seen how good he's looking, and he will show who the real champion is.

Diego Ferreira, UFC lightweight: I'm going with Pantoja. I know Van has looked good and gotten some good finishes; I just think Pantoja is a step above. Pantoja can get a submission win.

John Castaneda, UFC bantamweight: I like Joshua Van. He's impressed me and is only getting better in every fight, and I do think the layoff and injury will impact Pantoja.

Miles Johns, UFC bantamweight: I think Pantoja. Van has looked good, but I think Pantoja is a problem at flyweight and will reclaim his belt.

***

Fighters picking Joshua Van: Dan Ige, Modestas Bukauskas, John Castaneda

Fighters picking Alexandre Pantoja: Gillian Robertson, Cody Durden, Diego Ferreira, Miles Johns

Who do you think will win the UFC 331 main event between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja?

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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MMA

Alex Pereira says Josh Hokit would be much easier fight than Sergei Pavlovich

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10 hours ago

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October 25, 2026

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Alex Pereira says Josh Hokit would be 'much easier' fight than Sergei Pavlovich
Alex
Pereira has explained his frustration with the
Ultimate Fighting Championship's heavyweight matchmaking.

Pereira (13-4) is scheduled to face Sergei
Pavlovich (21-3) at UFC
335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Meanwhile,
Josh
Hokit (10-0) will face Ciryl Gane
(14-2) for the heavyweight title at UFC
334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Pereira said he initially expected either a rematch with Gane or a
grudge match against Hokit, but he sees the Pavlovich booking as a
favorable stylistic matchup.

Alex Pereira explains UFC matchmaking frustration and why
Sergei Pavlovich is more dangerous than Josh Hokit

Pereira lost his UFC heavyweight debut to Gane by technical
knockout in an interim title bout at
UFC Freedom 250. After Tom
Aspinall relinquished the undisputed championship, Pereira said
the promotion discussed a title rematch with Gane or a fight
against Hokit, who has repeatedly criticized “Poatan.â€

Pereira considers Hokit an easier opponent than Pavlovich.
Nevertheless, he said a conversation with UFC executive Hunter
Campbell resolved his frustration, and he now looks forward to the
December bout.

“What got me more upset at that time was because they told me that
I was possibly going to fight Gane for the belt or fight Hokit,â€
Pereira told Ariel Helwani. “And then none of that happened. Coming
from a loss, fighting Hokit would be much, much easier for me than
fighting Pavlovich, who’s supposed to be a harder fight. Hokit
would be a much easier fight for me. We got together [with Hunter
Campbell], we talked, we straightened things out, so it was fine.
Pavlovich is a little more dangerous opponent, but looking at it in
a technical way today, I see that it’s actually also a very good
fight for me.â€

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MMA

Islam Makhachev reveals why he turned down January fight with Carlos Prates

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12 hours ago

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October 25, 2026

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Islam Makhachev reveals why he turned down January fight with Carlos Prates

Islam Makhachev has spoken up about why he's not fighting Carlos Prates in January.

For the last few weeks, the MMA world has been flooded with rumors that Makhachev would defend his welterweight title against Prates at UFC 336 in January; however, on Saturday, the UFC announced that those rumors are untrue. Instead, Prates will take on Michael Morales for an interim welterweight title at UFC 336, with the winner unifying against Makhachev sometime next year.

“Prates and Morales will fight, determine who a true worthy contender, and I will fight [the winner]. They will [fight] among themselves. …

“They offered me a fight with Prates, who recently lost to a [Ian Machado Garry] who I beat. If I beat him, Morales would already be next in line, who's not fighting and waiting for [a title shot]. Just let them fight and we will figure out who is the real challenger.â€

Ramadan begins on Feb. 7 and concludes on March 8 in 2027, meaning it is unlikely we will see Makhachev again until next summer.

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MMA

Carlos Prates blasts ‘coward’ Islam Makhachev for UFC 336 withdrawal, vows to retire him

Published

22 hours ago

on

October 25, 2026

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Carlos Prates blasts ‘coward’ Islam Makhachev for UFC 336 withdrawal, vows to retire him

Carlos Prates put Islam Makhachev on blast after the UFC announced his fight with Michael Morales for the interim belt on Jan. 30.

“The Nightmare†was in talks with the promotion to book a UFC 336 clash with the welterweight champion in Toronto, Canada, but will now face Morales after the Russian informed the UFC he wouldn't be ready to fight on that date.

Prates took to social media after UFC's official announcement on Saturday to criticize the champion.

“Islam Makhachev, I've been working toward my dream of becoming a champion for 17 years, and now you've postponed that,†Prates wrote in Portuguese. “I'm the No. 1. I knocked out two former champions, while Morales has only beaten Sean Brady.

“You told the UFC you wouldn't be ready to fight in three months. Brother, you don't drink, you don't smoke, you don't party, and you can't get ready for a fight in three months? Let me show you how it's done. On January 30, I'm going to knock out Michael Morales, and then I'll be back to retire you, you coward!â€

Prates is on a three-fight winning streak in the UFC, all by knockout, and has finished his opponents in all seven octagon victories. Morales, on the other hand, is unbeaten as a professional with 19 straight victories, seven of those under the UFC banner.

Makhachev took a shot at Prates by pointing out the fact he has recently beat Ian Machado Garry, the only man to defeat the Brazilian in the UFC.

“I just beat the guy who chased you around the octagon for five rounds,†Makhachev wrote. “Shut up and go train. You're not on my level. See you soon. #maybeâ€

“As soon as we find out who the real contender is, we'll be right back,†he added in separate tweets. “We have to now who is better who deserve.â€

UFC 336 will take place at the Scotiabank Arena and feature Joshua Van's flyweight title defense against Manel Kape as the headliner.

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