UFC 331 ready for Los Angeles: Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja made weight for title fight
UFC 331 takes place on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, and the final major formality before entering the Octagon went smoothly for the evening's main protagonists. According to the official weigh-in results published by the UFC on September 18, flyweight champion Joshua Van and former champion Alexandre Pantoja both weighed 125 pounds, or approximately 56.7 kilograms. This confirmed that the title rematch is ready to go ahead as planned, without the need for any additional adjustments at the top of the card. The main card begins at 9:00 PM Eastern Time, or 6:00 PM Pacific Time in Los Angeles. The UFC's official event page and the Crypto.com Arena page continue to state that tickets are on sale.
Van and Pantoja fight for the belt again after the unusual ending of their first bout
The central story of UFC 331 stems from their first meeting at UFC 323 in December 2025. According to the UFC's official record, Van became champion by technical knockout after only 26 seconds of the first round, but the ending did not come after a conventional series of strikes or a submission. Pantoja suffered an elbow injury that prevented him from continuing the fight, so their first encounter left an open sporting question that the rematch in Los Angeles will attempt to resolve. That is precisely why the second fight has a different context from a standard title defense: Van now enters as the established champion, while Pantoja returns in an attempt to regain the belt he held for more than two years.
In its event preview, the UFC states that Van has already successfully defended the title since winning it. In May 2026 at UFC 328, he stopped Tatsuro Taira with strikes in the fifth round, with the official result recorded at 1:32 of the final round. That victory is important to the context of the rematch because, after the unusual ending against Pantoja, Van had the opportunity to prove himself in a complete championship fight against one of the division's leading contenders. In its analysis, the UFC highlighted that against Taira he had to work through difficult positions, particularly in wrestling exchanges, before taking over the closing stages with pressure and combinations of strikes. He therefore arrives in Los Angeles with a record of 17-2 and one successful title defense behind him, according to the UFC's current presentation of the main event.
Pantoja, on the other hand, enters the rematch with a record of 30-6, according to the figures listed by the UFC in its official card preview. Before losing the belt to Van, he built one of the most stable reigns in the recent history of the flyweight division. The UFC notes that he won the title against Brandon Moreno and then successfully defended it four times, against Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura and Kai Kara-France. He finished his final two defenses before the injury by forcing his opponents to submit, and he entered his first meeting with Van on an eight-fight winning streak. The rematch therefore represents both a return from injury and an opportunity for him to become one of the few fighters to regain the UFC flyweight belt.
Weigh-in confirms the main fights: Tsarukyan at 156, Ruffy at 155 pounds
The official weigh-in also confirmed the five-round lightweight co-main event between Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy. Tsarukyan weighed 156 pounds, while Ruffy weighed 155 pounds, according to the UFC. The current UFC 331 page lists Tsarukyan as the No. 2-ranked lightweight contender and Ruffy as No. 7, which represents a change from earlier promotional materials from August in which the Brazilian was listed lower in the rankings. The organization presents this fight as a bout with direct significance for the top of the division, although the result itself does not guarantee the next title shot.
Tsarukyan arrives in Los Angeles with a professional record of 23-3, according to the UFC's current preview, and a five-fight winning streak. In his most recent Octagon appearance, he defeated Dan Hooker by submission, while the UFC also highlights his decision victory over former champion Charles Oliveira among his more significant results. Ruffy has a record of 14-2 and stopped Michael Chandler in his most recent appearance, which helped him move further up the rankings. Their meeting combines Tsarukyan's proven level against elite opponents with Ruffy's rise toward the very top of the division, while the fact that it has been scheduled for five rounds further emphasizes its importance on the card.
Pitbull against Choi and three more fights on the main card
The UFC 331 main card does not end with the two five-round fights. In the featherweight division, Patricio Pitbull, currently ranked 15th by the UFC, faces Dooho Choi. At the weigh-in, Pitbull weighed 145.5 pounds and Choi 146. According to the UFC's main-card overview, Pitbull enters the fight with a professional record of 37-9, while Choi is 17-4-1. For both fighters, the meeting in Los Angeles is important as an opportunity to improve their position in the highly competitive featherweight division.
The main card also features a heavyweight bout between Gable Steveson and Sean Sharaf. Steveson weighed 240 pounds, while Sharaf weighed 241. The UFC states that Steveson enters the fight with a record of 4-0, while Sharaf is 4-2, making this a matchup between fighters with relatively few professional MMA appearances but on the major stage of a numbered event. The card opens with a light heavyweight fight between Alonzo Menifield and the undefeated Iwo Baraniewski. Menifield weighed 205.5 pounds, Baraniewski 206, and the UFC currently presents them with records of 18-6-1 and 9-0.
The preliminary portion also brings several familiar names. According to the official weigh-in results, Marlon Vera weighed 136 pounds for his fight against Charles Jourdain, who weighed 135, while heavyweights Tai Tuivasa and Robelis Despaigne weighed 264.5 and 263 pounds respectively. Michael Aswell Jr. and JooSang Yoo came in at 146 and 145.5 pounds, while Ryan Gandra and Ozzy Diaz both weighed 186. The earlier portion of the card also includes Edmen Shahbazyan against Brunna Ferreira, Casey O'Neill against Eduarda Moura and Giga Chikadze against Joanderson Brito. All of the listed pairings passed the official weigh-in within the limits stated by the UFC for their fights.
One fight was removed during event week
The final UFC 331 lineup differs from the originally announced card. On September 14, the UFC announced that the fight between Renato Moicano and Brian Ortega had been removed because of an injury to Ortega. According to that announcement, Moicano was redirected to a new fight against Tom Nolan, which is expected to headline UFC Fight Night on October 31 in Las Vegas. The change is important for attendees and viewers because that pairing is no longer on the official UFC 331 card, although it may have appeared in earlier announcements and promotional materials. The UFC's current event page lists five fights on the main card, with Van and Pantoja at the top and Tsarukyan and Ruffy in the co-main event.
Such changes are not unusual in combat sports, where the health status of competitors can alter a card right up to event week. In this case, the organization did not announce a replacement opponent for Ortega in Los Angeles, but instead removed the entire bout. The official UFC and Crypto.com Arena pages are therefore more relevant than earlier posters for the final order and list of fights. The organizer also continues to warn that the schedule and start times are subject to change, which is a standard notice for events of this kind.
Main card begins at 6 PM local time in Los Angeles
For the audience at Crypto.com Arena, the most important confirmed start time concerns the main card, which begins at 6:00 PM Pacific Time, or 9:00 PM Eastern Time. The UFC's current event page states that the preliminary card begins at 7:00 PM ET, or 4:00 PM PT, while the early preliminary fights are listed for 5:30 PM ET, or 2:30 PM PT. Crypto.com Arena's UFC 331 page also lists the early preliminary fights as starting at 2:30 PM and the doors opening at 1:30 PM local time. Because of possible schedule changes during the day of the event, attendees are advised to check the official page immediately before arriving.
In the United States, the UFC lists Paramount+ as the platform for broadcasting the main and preliminary cards, while broadcast availability in other countries depends on the market and local rights holders. On its viewing page, the UFC therefore directs international audiences to check availability in each individual country. The time difference is also important for the global audience: the start of the main card in Los Angeles at 6:00 PM PT falls during the late-night or morning hours of September 20 in much of Europe and Asia. Exact local start times depend on the viewer's time zone.
Tickets are still listed for sale, public sale opened on August 7
According to the UFC event calendar, public ticket sales for UFC 331 opened on August 7, following presale phases for UFC Fight Club and subscribers to the official newsletter. As of September 19, the official UFC event page and Crypto.com Arena still display the option to purchase tickets, meaning the organizers have not marked the event as sold out through those channels. Availability in individual sections and prices can change in real time, so they cannot reliably be stated as fixed without directly checking the sales system at the moment of purchase. Crypto.com Arena also states that the box office on September 19 for UFC 331 will open two hours before the start of the event.
The arena is located at 1111 S. Figueroa Street in central Los Angeles, within the L.A. Live complex. For visitors traveling to the city specifically for the event, it is useful to coordinate their arrival in advance with the door-opening time and traffic conditions around the arena. Because this is a major event in the city center, some spectators may consider accommodation in Los Angeles near the UFC 331 venue in order to reduce the need for late-night travel after the card ends. The arena's official website also separately provides information about parking and access to the venue, while specific entry conditions and rules regarding items permitted inside should be checked before departure.
The rematch carries broader significance for the flyweight division
UFC 331 has broader significance for the flyweight division than simply a change or defense of the belt. During 2025, Van went from being a promising fighter outside the very top of the division to champion, and the UFC highlighted his activity that year as one of the organization's most notable. Before facing Pantoja, he defeated, among others, Bruno Silva and Brandon Royval, and after winning the belt, his victory over Taira showed that he could make it through a long, tactically demanding championship fight. Pantoja, on the other hand, represents the previous era at the top of the division: his run of defenses against challengers with different styles created a continuity that was interrupted only by the injury in his first fight with Van.
For that reason, the rematch offers a clearer sporting picture than their first meeting. If the fight lasts, Van will for the first time against Pantoja have to show how his style matches up with the experienced former champion through multiple phases of the bout, while Pantoja will have to demonstrate that after the injury he can return to the level he showed during his four successful defenses. The UFC has scheduled both of the evening's main fights for five rounds, while the remaining bouts are planned for three. That structure places significant emphasis on conditioning, adjustments between rounds and pace management, particularly in the 125-pound championship bout.
Los Angeles gets a numbered UFC event with two five-round fights
Crypto.com Arena is promoting UFC 331 for September 19 as a full-day combat sports event with an early local start and a championship bout in the evening slot. The main event provides a direct continuation of the story that began in Las Vegas in December 2025, but the circumstances are now significantly different: Van has since defended the belt, while Pantoja returns after recovery with the clear goal of reclaiming the title. At the same time, the co-main event between Tsarukyan and Ruffy could influence the balance of power in the lightweight division, while Pitbull and Choi bring additional interest in the featherweight ranks.
The official weigh-in removed one of the final possible obstacles for the evening's most important fights. Van and Pantoja hit exactly 125 pounds, while Tsarukyan and Ruffy also met the contracted limits for their bout. Following the change caused by Ortega's injury, the official card has now stabilized around five main-card fights and a series of preliminary bouts. For the audience following the event live or via broadcast, the next step is no longer administrative but sporting: the Octagon at Crypto.com Arena is set to provide an answer that their first, 26-second fight could not.
Sources:
- UFC - official UFC 331 event page, current card, schedule, rankings and ticket sales (link)
- UFC - official weigh-in results from September 18, 2026, including the weights of all announced fighters (link)
- UFC - preview of the Van-Pantoja rematch, information about their first meeting, Van's title defense and Pantoja's previous defenses (link)
- UFC - overview of all fights at UFC 331 and the current context of the main bouts (link)
- UFC - information about broadcasts and start times for the United States and other markets (link)
- UFC - official notice about the removal of the Renato Moicano-Brian Ortega fight from the card because of injury (link)
- UFC - official result of the first Pantoja-Van fight at UFC 323, which ended after 26 seconds (link)
- UFC - official result of Van's title defense against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 (link)
- Crypto.com Arena - official event page with local start times, address and ticket-sale status (link)
- Crypto.com Arena - box-office information and special opening hours for UFC 331 (link)