The highly anticipated rematch for the UFC flyweight title between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja will headline the UFC 331 card on Saturday inside Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
As the defending champion coming off a successful title defense, Van enters the championship bout as the betting favorite with -140 UFC odds. Meanwhile, Pantoja, who recently recovered from an elbow dislocation, is the +115 underdog.
UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja 2 Fight Odds
- Joshua Van: -140
- Alexandre Pantoja: +115
UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja 2: Tale of the Tape
| Joshua Van | Alexandre Pantoja | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 24 | 36 |
| Height | 5’5” | 5’5” |
| Reach | 65 inches | 67 inches |
| Leg Reach | 35 inches | 36.5 inches |
| Record | 17-2 | 30-6 |
| Fighting Style | Freestyle | MMA |
| Finishing Rate | 65% | 67% |
UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja 2: Prediction
My prediction is a submission win for Pantoja over Van, as he’s a different grappling beast. Van undoubtedly is the better overall striker than Pantoja, but if the fight goes to the ground, which I believe will be, Pantoja will have the clear advantage.
I think Pantoja is going to lure Van into an early firefight at the beginning of the fight, just like he did against Kai Kara-France. Once Van throws his counters, Pantoja will time a perfect level change to shoot for a takedown.
Van did have problems with defending takedowns against Tatsuro Taira, and Pantoja is a different type of grappler, as he’s constantly looking for submission techniques. Even though Van looked good in his previous fight, people forget how dominant a champion Pantoja was before he suffered that injury in their first meeting.
Joshua Van’s Recent Fight Results
Van is the reigning UFC flyweight champion and is currently on a seven-fight win streak. His victories during this stretch were against Edgar Chairez, Cody Durden, Rei Tsuruya, Bruno Silva, Brandon Royval, Pantoja, and Taira.
Alexandre Pantoja’s Recent Fight Results
Pantoja was the former UFC flyweight champion and has been with the promotion since 2017. In his last five fights, he recorded four wins (Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura, and Kara-France) and one loss (Van).
UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja 2 Fight Card
- Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2, UFC flyweight title fight
- Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy, lightweight fight
- Patricio Pitbull vs. Dooho Choi, featherweight fight
- Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski, light heavyweight fight
- Gable Steveson vs. Sean Sharaf, heavyweight fight
- Marlon Vera vs. Charles Jourdain, bantamweight fight
- Tai Tuivasa vs. Robelis Despaigne, heavyweight fight
- Michael Aswell Jr. vs. Joosang Yoo, featherweight fight
- Ryan Gandra vs. Ozzy Diaz, middleweight fight
- Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Bruno Ferreira, middleweight fight
- Casey O’Neill vs. Eduarda Moura, women’s flyweight fight
- Giga Chikadze vs. Joanderson Brito, featherweight fight
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