On Saturday, Van and Pantoja look to settle their rivalry in a flyweight title rematch in the main event of UFC 311. Van wants to prove that the fluke injury from their first encounter didn't make a difference, while Pantoja wants to prove he's still the best in the world. But who will reign supreme?

Ahead of UFC 331, MMA Fighting's Alexander K. Lee and Jed Meshew discuss and debate all the big storylines going into Saturday's event. Topics discussed include whether Pantoja can fend off Father Time or if #VanLife is here to stay, whether or not Arman Tsarukyan needs a big win over Mauricio Ruffy to cement his title claim, the bright spots on the rest of the card, and more.

Catch the UFC 331 preview show video above. An audio-only version of the show can be found below and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

So while he's waiting, Chimaev is preparing to stay busy working with RAF, which includes his showdown against old foe Gilbert Burns on Saturday in Miami, and healing up some nagging injuries. While Chimaev's health has been a huge cause for concern in the past, the Chechen mauler promises that if he needs time off now to deal with those injuries, he won't be gone very long.

“I want to fight,†Chimaev told MMA Fighting on Thursday. “That's why I want to fight. It's not crazy big injuries where you need to be off from sparring. It's just my hands. I punch hard so I always have problems with my hands and I have to fix it.

“It's not going to take a long time but people think Khamzat is not going to fight. If I do break off, it's going to be one or two months. Still going to be doing recovery, training.â€

Chimaev has been very vocal, especially on social media, about booking another fight sooner than later. The UFC has made no announcements but the current rumor is that middleweight champion Sean Strickland is expected to defend his title against Nassourdine Imavov before 2026 concludes.

With the champion tied up, Chimaev turned his attention towards Caio Borralho, who he says accepted his challenge when he was looking for a fight.

“Only Caio [Borralho] wanted to fight, but he had an injury when I asked about October,†Chimaev said. “He said November or December, he will be ready.â€

As far as the title goes, Chimaev obviously wants the belt back after losing a very close decision to Strickland back in May. Chimaev isn't all that concerned about revenge on Strickland as getting the UFC title back again — and he expects to face a new champion when that comes time.

“I would be happy who is the winner if they come back faster Nassourdine or Sean, who is the winner, I want to fight this guy,†Chimaev said. “It's a tough fight. But I go for Nassourdine.â€

Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion's plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that Allen has been scratched from his scheduled matchup with Aaron Pico at UFC 333, which takes place Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena.

The reason for Allen's withdrawal wasn't due to a new injury, but the U.K. fighter has been rehabbing from some past treatments, a source told MMA Fighting. While Allen is on the right track, there wasn't enough time between now and the event for Allen to be ready to compete, but this was made known as a possibility when the matchup was initially discussed. The hope is for Allen to return before the end of the year.

The 32-year-old is coming off of a decision win against Melquizael Costa in the main event of May's UFC Vegas 117.

As for Pico, he'll remain on the card to face Losene Keita. Pico earned his first UFC victory in his most recent contest with a decision win over Patricio Pitbull at UFC 327 in April.

Keita (17-2) is coming off a first-round knockout of Muhammad Naimov at UFC Paris earlier this month that earned him a Performance of the Night bonus. It was his first UFC win in two tries.

MMA Fighting's Damon Martin contributed to this report.