UFC 331 will happen in Los Angeles and showcase the extremely anticipated flyweight rematch. Joshua Van will defend his title in opposition to former champion Alexandre Pantoja. The occasion might be held Saturday, September 19, at Crypto.com Area. Though the Renato Moicano and Brian Ortega battle was canceled, there’s nonetheless loads to sit up for.
Why UFC 331 Is A Large Deal
At UFC 331, Van will search to determine his legitimacy as flyweight champion, whereas Pantoja appears to regain the title he misplaced to Van. Of their first encounter at UFC 323, the bout was stopped after simply 26 seconds resulting from an elbow damage Pantoja suffered. This implies there was no prolonged bout the place the 2 may have correctly fought and proved their talent over a number of rounds.
This implies the upcoming bout is not going to be a typical title protection, since Van already beat Tatsuro Taira by way of fifth-round TKO at UFC 328 and proved he can undergo a hard-fought championship bout. In the meantime, Pantoja has compiled a formidable observe report within the weight class previous to the damage, with championship wins in opposition to Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura, and Kai Kara-France.
How To Wager On UFC 331
If you’re new to MMA betting, consider the battle itself, not the identify of the fighters listed on the betting line. There are several types of bets, together with a moneyline guess (who will win the battle), a technique guess (how the winner will win), and a spherical guess (in what around the battle will finish).
To study extra about inserting a profitable guess on UFC 331, learn Stake’s guide on how to bet on UFC 331. The principle thought is that the higher fighter doesn’t essentially make the higher guess. When betting on a title battle like Van vs. Pantoja, take into account the chances as a lot as your prediction.
Van Vs Pantoja Once more
Van has a 17-2 professional record and is the UFC flyweight champion earlier than UFC 331. He has gained 9 fights by knockout, two by submission, and three within the first spherical. At solely 24, his achievements are much more outstanding. Official UFC information listing him at 5-foot-5 with a 65-inch attain.
One other notable level about Van is his putting. Van has linked 1230 of 2144 important strikes within the UFC with about 57% accuracy. Moreover, his stats reveal such indicators as 8.43 important strikes landed per minute, 5.82 important strikes absorbed per minute, and 76% takedown protection.
As for Pantoja, he has a 30-6 report. He gained eight fights by knockout and 12 by submission. He has completed 20 fights. He’s 36 years outdated and is, thus, older than Van. Nevertheless, his expertise provides worth. He additionally stands 5-foot-5 and has a 67-inch attain.
Van’s Largest Strengths
Van’s most blatant energy is his pace. Van is an energetic fighter who combines punches and retains the tempo quick. His victory over Taira was essential for Van because it revealed extra of his different abilities. Taira dominated the primary rounds along with his wrestling, however Van tailored his technique and at last beat Him within the fifth spherical along with his putting.
In June, Van educated with Alexander Volkanovski and stated it was a helpful expertise, since he realized from a extremely technical opponent with the identical physique. Which means Van has been engaged on his abilities reasonably than resting after profitable the belt. Additionally, Van trains playfully. Van teases his trainers throughout coaching and says enjoyable is without doubt one of the predominant elements of his routine.
Pantoja’s Desires to Reclaim the Title
Pantoja has his expertise, particularly within the tougher fights. He has labored on his scrambling, clinching, and submissions for years. Pantoja holds the report for essentially the most wins and finishes in flyweight historical past, in addition to six UFC flyweight submission wins.
Pantoja was not crushed by Van in a daily five-round battle in UFC 323 resulting from Pantoja’s elbow damage. This implies the preparation interval isn’t about correcting errors from his earlier defeat, however a couple of second probability. If Pantoja wins this bout, it could be the third time a UFC flyweight champion has misplaced their belt after which regained it, with the earlier examples being Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo. Pantoja has changed his training ahead of UFC 331, together with his food plan and psychological preparation, to change into the belt holder as soon as once more.
Tsarukyan Vs Ruffy
The co-main occasion is Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy, a five-round light-weight match with main title implications. Tsarukyan is 23-3 with a five-fight profitable streak, together with wins over former champ Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 and Dan Hooker in November 2025.
Ruffy is 14-2 and has completed 13 of those fights by way of knockout, and he enters this battle after a TKO victory over Michael Chandler at UFC Freedom 250 in June. That is an attention-grabbing matchup: one fighter desires to dominate with grappling and positional management, whereas the opposite desires to create house and rhythm to complete the battle with one punch.
Tsarukyan even stated that this battle is a must-win for his title aspirations. He has been ready for years for a title shot that might make him one of many contenders at light-weight.
Pitbull Vs Choi
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire vs. Doo Ho Choi is one other battle value watching intently. Choi has a 17-4-1 report with 14 knockout wins, whereas Pitbull enters as one of the vital skilled names on the cardboard. Choi’s latest win over Daniel Santos in Could got here by TKO, which exhibits that his sharp boxing and ending instincts are nonetheless there.
The matchup might be attention-grabbing as a result of each males are comfy putting. Choi has lengthy had a repute for aggressive, entertaining fights. For bettors, that makes fight-ending markets extra interesting than predicting each spherical.
Different Fights Value Watching
Gable Steveson is one other fighter drawing loads of consideration. The previous elite wrestler is 4-0 as an expert and has completed all 4 fights by first-round knockout or TKO. He final gained by first-round stoppage of Elisha Ellison in July. He now faces Sean Sharaf, 4-2, who remains to be searching for his first UFC win.
Steveson was priced as an enormous favourite in early markets, with odds starting from about -1100 to -1900 throughout listings. That tells you the market expects him to win, however a large favourite is usually a poor guess if the risk-reward ratio doesn’t make sense. A fighter can have a a lot larger probability of profitable and nonetheless provide little betting worth.
The late promotion of this battle additionally offers UFC 331 a special look. After Ortega’s damage compelled Moicano vs. Ortega off the cardboard, Steveson vs. Sharaf moved into the main-card slot. That makes the heavyweight battle extra seen, but it surely doesn’t robotically make it a greater betting alternative.
What The UFC 331 Odds Say
The betting market has moved backwards and forwards on the primary occasion. As of September 14, main books had Van round -125 to -133, whereas Pantoja was at round +100 to +114. That makes Van a small favourite, however that is clearly not a one-sided market. Some earlier strains had Pantoja as a slight favourite, which exhibits simply how a lot uncertainty there’s across the rematch. Different market snapshots had Van at -125 and Pantoja at +100, whereas one other listed Van at -133 and Pantoja at +114.
The market additionally has Tsarukyan as a powerful favourite over Ruffy, with strains round -290 to -380 relying on the sportsbook. That unfold tells you one thing essential about UFC 331 betting: the co-main occasion is a a lot clearer favorite-vs-underdog matchup on paper than the title battle.
Betting Angles
A great technique for Van vs. Pantoja is to keep away from feeling compelled to put a guess. If you happen to assume Van is the higher fighter however imagine he has solely a 52-53% probability of profitable, you shouldn’t guess on him if the chances are too low. But when the chances indicate a decrease probability of profitable than you assume he truly has, then the guess may nonetheless be value taking.
Probably the most attention-grabbing technique will be the moneyline on Van as a substitute of the strategy guess. His present kind, age, strike quantity, and higher grappling protection make him far more dependable than earlier than the Taira battle.
If you wish to guess on Pantoja, there could also be plenty of worth. Betting on a really elite veteran with in depth championship-level expertise might be the optimum transfer. He’ll look to get into the clinch, the place he can grapple with Van and attempt to management and dominate him.
The place To Watch And Wager
UFC 331 will happen in Crypto.com Area in Los Angeles. The official main-event card will air on UFC on Paramount+. The principle card is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.
When placing bets online for UFC 331 make sure you look into UFC 331 Van vs. Pantoja odds at Stake and examine the costs supplied by different on-line bookmakers. For the most recent information and updates, go to the official UFC 331 occasion web page.
| Particulars | Takeaway | |
| UFC 331 | Flyweight title rematch. Van enters as champion after beating Tatsuro Taira; Pantoja returns from an injury-shortened first assembly. | Foremost occasion is extremely aggressive, so keep away from overvaluing the small favourite. |
| Joshua Van | 17-2 report, 24 years outdated, excessive putting quantity, 57% putting accuracy, robust takedown protection and confirmed five-round expertise. | Van’s moneyline might provide worth when the worth is favorable. |
| Alexandre Pantoja | 30-6 report, veteran champion with in depth flyweight expertise, robust grappling, submissions and clinch work. | Pantoja will be enticing as an underdog, particularly if he can pressure grappling exchanges. |
| Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy | Light-weight co-main occasion. Tsarukyan brings elite grappling and an extended win streak; Ruffy depends closely on knockout energy. | Tsarukyan is the clearer favourite, however worth issues earlier than backing him. |
| Pitbull vs. Choi | Pitbull faces Doo Ho Choi. Choi is 17-4-1 with 14 KO wins and enters off a TKO victory. | Battle-ending markets could also be extra interesting than round-by-round bets. |
| Steveson vs. Sharaf | Gable Steveson is 4-0 with 4 first-round finishes whereas Sean Sharaf is 4-2 and nonetheless searching for his first UFC win. | Steveson is an enormous favourite, so assess whether or not the worth provides sufficient worth earlier than betting. |
