Joshua Van retains flyweight title in gritty Pantoja rematch

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The unfinished business between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja was settled Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena. 

The 24-year-old champion, Van, retained his UFC flyweight title, defeating the former champion by unanimous decision in their highly anticipated rematch. The judges scored the fight 49-46, 48-47 and 50-45 for Van, who survived an aggressive opening round before taking control as the fight wore on. 

Nearly nine months after their first meeting ended just 26 seconds into the opening round when Pantoja suffered an elbow injury, the two flyweights returned to the Octagon with the UFC title on the line. 

Van arrived in Los Angeles on a seven-fight winning streak and fresh off a fifth-round TKO of Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328, while Pantoja returned from injury looking to reclaim the championship he defended four times before losing to Van. 

Pantoja came out fast, immediately putting pressure on Van and mixing in takedowns as he looked to dictate the pace. The former champion was the more aggressive fighter in the opening five minutes and appeared to take round one, setting the tone for what developed into a much closer fight than the final scorecards suggested. 

Van settled in during the second and third rounds, using his speed, boxing and movement to keep Pantoja from consistently establishing his grappling game. The champion began finding a home for his combinations and counters while Pantoja continued pressing forward. Van appeared to take both rounds and entered the championship rounds with momentum. 

Pantoja found success again in the fourth, using his grappling to slow Van down and create stretches of control on the mat. But Van saved his best work for the fifth. 

The champion came out firing and continued to find Pantoja with clean punches before landing a massive right hand that dropped the former champion. Van followed him to the canvas and briefly attacked the arm, threatening a kimura before Pantoja escaped. Back on the feet, Van continued pressing the action until the final horn. 

At the post-fight press conference, Van was asked if Manel Kape would be his next opponent.

"Whoever. Whoever can get it. I'm the fearless, and I never pick and choose who I fight," he said.

Van looked like the fresher, faster and more dangerous fighter, closing the bout as the dominant champion rather than surviving Pantoja's pressure. The victory moves Van to 18-2 and gives him a definitive championship performance. 

Tsarukyan delivers a vicious finish 

Arman Tsarukyan put his lightweight title aspirations back in the spotlight Saturday night, stopping Mauricio Ruffy at the end of the opening round. 

Tsarukyan entered the matchup riding a five-fight winning streak with a 10-1 record across his previous 11 fights. He was originally scheduled to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 311 before a severe back injury forced him out of the fight 24 hours before the event. 

The Armenian contender’s pressure and finishing ability proved to be the difference. He trapped Ruffy against the cage and unleashed a vicious elbow, ending the fight right before the horn. A statement knockout by Tsarukyan in the co-main event should earn him a title shot. 

A heavyweight shocker 

What was supposed to be another step in Gable Steveson’s transition to MMA turned into a huge upset. Sean Sharaf needed just 12 seconds to knock out the Olympic wrestling gold medalist, catching Steveson with a perfect left hook. The finish was the third fastest knockout in UFC heavyweight history. 

Steveson entered the fight unbeaten at 4-0 and two months removed from his first-round TKO victory in his promotional debut. Sharaf, meanwhile, came in as a massive underdog and made a name for himself in downtown LA. 

For Steveson, the loss marked his first setback as a professional MMA fighter. For Sharaf, it was a career-changing moment inside Crypto.com Arena and a reminder that heavyweight fights can turn on a single punch. 

‘Chito’ back in the win column 

The Irvine-based bantamweight, fighting out of Southern California by way of Ecuador, entered the featured prelim on a four-fight losing streak, with all four losses coming by decision. 

Against Canada’s Charles Jourdain, Vera brought the pressure from the opening bell and refused to let the fight settle into another decision. Straight rights, uppercuts, leg kicks and combinations kept Jourdain under pressure as Vera steadily took control of the fight. 

The result finally came in the third round, when Vera’s relentless offense forced the referee to step in and stop the fight, giving ‘Chito’ his first victory since 2023. 

Early prelims 

Casey O’Neill wasted little time making an impression against Eduarda Moura. O’Neill found herself working from her back before creating an opening during a scramble and locked in an acrobatic armbar. Moura had nowhere to go and was forced to tap, giving O’Neill a slick first-round submission victory. Following the win, O’Neill immediately turned her attention toward fellow contender Maycee Barber, calling for the matchup.  

Next fights up 

Oct. 3: UFC 332 – Silva vs. Wang (Salt Lake City, UT, USA) 

Oct. 24: UFC 333 – Volkanovski vs. Evloev (Abu Dhabi, UAE)