UFC 331 will take place in Los Angeles and showcase the highly anticipated flyweight rematch. Joshua Van will defend his title against former champion Alexandre Pantoja. The event will be held Saturday, September 19, at Crypto.com Arena. Although the Renato Moicano and Brian Ortega fight was canceled, there is still plenty to look forward to.

Why UFC 331 Is A Big Deal

At UFC 331, Van will seek to establish his legitimacy as flyweight champion, while Pantoja looks to regain the title he lost to Van. In their first encounter at UFC 323, the bout was stopped after just 26 seconds due to an elbow injury Pantoja suffered. This means there was no extended bout where the two could have properly fought and proved their skill over multiple rounds.

This suggests the upcoming bout will not be a typical title defense, since Van already beat Tatsuro Taira via fifth-round TKO at UFC 328 and proved he can go through a hard-fought championship bout. Meanwhile, Pantoja has compiled an impressive track record in the weight class prior to the injury, with championship wins against Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura, and Kai Kara-France.

How To Bet On UFC 331

If you are new to MMA betting, concentrate on the fight itself, not the name of the fighters listed on the betting line. There are different types of bets, including a moneyline bet (who will win the fight), a method bet (how the winner will win), and a round bet (in what round the fight will end).

To learn more about placing a winning bet on UFC 331, read Stake’s guide on how to bet on UFC 331. The main idea is that the better fighter does not necessarily make the better bet. When betting on a title fight like Van vs. Pantoja, consider the odds as much as your prediction.

Van Vs Pantoja Again

Van has a 17-2 professional record and is the UFC flyweight champion before UFC 331. He has won nine fights by knockout, two by submission, and three in the first round. At only 24, his achievements are even more remarkable. Official UFC records list him at 5-foot-5 with a 65-inch reach.

Another notable point about Van is his striking. Van has connected 1230 of 2144 significant strikes in the UFC with about 57% accuracy. Furthermore, his stats reveal such indicators as 8.43 significant strikes landed per minute, 5.82 significant strikes absorbed per minute, and 76% takedown defense.

As for Pantoja, he has a 30-6 record. He won eight fights by knockout and 12 by submission. He has finished 20 fights. He is 36 years old and is, thus, older than Van. However, his experience adds value. He also stands 5-foot-5 and has a 67-inch reach.

Van’s Biggest Strengths

Van’s most obvious strength is his speed. Van is an active fighter who combines punches and keeps the pace fast. His victory over Taira was important for Van as it revealed more of his other skills. Taira dominated the first rounds with his wrestling, but Van adapted his strategy and finally beat Him in the fifth round with his striking.

In June, Van trained with Alexander Volkanovski and said it was a useful experience, since he learned from a highly technical opponent with the same physique. This means that Van has been working on his skills rather than resting after winning the belt. Also, Van trains playfully. Van teases his trainers during training and says fun is one of the main parts of his routine.

Pantoja’s Wants to Reclaim the Title

Pantoja has his experience, specifically in the harder fights. He has worked on his scrambling, clinching, and submissions for years. Pantoja holds the record for the most wins and finishes in flyweight history, as well as six UFC flyweight submission wins.

Pantoja was not beaten by Van in a regular five-round fight in UFC 323 due to Pantoja’s elbow injury. This means the preparation period isn’t about correcting mistakes from his previous defeat, but about a second chance. If Pantoja wins this bout, it would be the third time a UFC flyweight champion has lost their belt and then regained it, with the previous examples being Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo. Pantoja has changed his training ahead of UFC 331, including his diet and mental preparation, to become the belt holder once again.

Tsarukyan Vs Ruffy

The co-main event is Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy, a five-round lightweight match with major title implications. Tsarukyan is 23-3 with a five-fight winning streak, including wins over former champ Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 and Dan Hooker in November 2025.

Ruffy is 14-2 and has finished 13 of these fights via knockout, and he enters this fight after a TKO victory over Michael Chandler at UFC Freedom 250 in June. This is an interesting matchup: one fighter wants to dominate with grappling and positional control, while the other wants to create space and rhythm to finish the fight with one punch.

Tsarukyan even said that this fight is a must-win for his title aspirations. He has been waiting for years for a title shot that would make him one of the contenders at lightweight.

Pitbull Vs Choi

Patricio “Pitbull” Freire vs. Doo Ho Choi is another fight worth watching closely. Choi has a 17-4-1 record with 14 knockout wins, while Pitbull enters as one of the most experienced names on the card. Choi’s recent win over Daniel Santos in May came by TKO, which shows that his sharp boxing and finishing instincts are still there.

The matchup will be interesting because both men are comfortable striking. Choi has long had a reputation for aggressive, entertaining fights. For bettors, that makes fight-ending markets more appealing than predicting every round.

Other Fights Worth Watching

Gable Steveson is another fighter drawing plenty of attention. The former elite wrestler is 4-0 as a professional and has finished all four fights by first-round knockout or TKO. He last won by first-round stoppage of Elisha Ellison in July. He now faces Sean Sharaf, 4-2, who is still looking for his first UFC win.

Steveson was priced as a huge favorite in early markets, with odds ranging from about -1100 to -1900 across listings. That tells you the market expects him to win, but a giant favorite can be a poor bet if the risk-reward ratio doesn’t make sense. A fighter can have a much higher chance of winning and still offer little betting value.

The late promotion of this fight also gives UFC 331 a different look. After Ortega’s injury forced Moicano vs. Ortega off the card, Steveson vs. Sharaf moved into the main-card slot. That makes the heavyweight fight more visible, but it doesn’t automatically make it a better betting opportunity.

What The UFC 331 Odds Say

The betting market has moved back and forth on the main event. As of September 14, major books had Van around -125 to -133, while Pantoja was at around +100 to +114. That makes Van a small favorite, but this is clearly not a one-sided market. Some earlier lines had Pantoja as a slight favorite, which shows just how much uncertainty there is around the rematch. Other market snapshots had Van at -125 and Pantoja at +100, while another listed Van at -133 and Pantoja at +114.

The market also has Tsarukyan as a strong favorite over Ruffy, with lines around -290 to -380 depending on the sportsbook. That spread tells you something important about UFC 331 betting: the co-main event is a much clearer favorite-vs-underdog matchup on paper than the title fight.

Betting Angles

A good strategy for Van vs. Pantoja is to avoid feeling forced to place a bet. If you think Van is the better fighter but believe he has only a 52-53% chance of winning, you shouldn’t bet on him if the odds are too low. But if the odds imply a lower chance of winning than you think he actually has, then the bet could still be worth taking.

The most interesting strategy can be the moneyline on Van instead of the method bet. His current form, age, strike volume, and better grappling defense make him much more reliable than before the Taira fight.

If you want to bet on Pantoja, there may be a lot of value. Betting on a very elite veteran with extensive championship-level experience could be the optimal move. He will look to get into the clinch, where he can grapple with Van and try to control and dominate him.

Where To Watch And Bet

UFC 331 will take place in Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The official main-event card will air on UFC on Paramount+. The main card is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.

When placing bets online for UFC 331 be sure to look into UFC 331 Van vs. Pantoja odds at Stake and compare the prices offered by other online bookmakers. For the latest news and updates, visit the official UFC 331 event page.