Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja is the rematch we need.
True, Saturday’s UFC 331 main event is more of a redo than a rematch after Pantoja unceremoniously lost his belt to Van this past December when he suffered a freak arm injury less than 30 seconds into their fight, but that brief encounter has generated plenty of bad blood and anticipation for what these two can really do once they have a proper 25 minutes to work with (knock on wood).
Van, the current champion and face of the division, taking on Pantoja, the long-reigning champion out to show that he’s not done building his legacy.
In the co-main event, Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy are being promised a title shot, even though current lightweight champion Justin Gaethje is currently embroiled in a war of words with a rematch-hungry Ilia Topuria. There are no guarantees in the UFC, but whoever loses this five-round contender bout could find themselves on the outside looking in. Permanently.
Also on the main card, Patricio Pitbull and Doo Ho Choi clash in a battle of featherweight veterans, blue-chip heavyweight prospect Gable Steveson faces his next test in Sean Sharaf, and Alonzo Menifield looks to hand light heavyweight bulldozer Iwo Baraniewski his first loss.
What: UFC 331
Where: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles
When: Saturday, Sept. 19. The three-fight early preliminary card begins at 5:30 p.m. ET, followed by a four-fight preliminary card at 7 p.m. ET. The five-fight main card begins at 9 p.m. ET with the entire event streaming live on Paramount+.
(Numbers in parentheses indicate standing in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings and Pound-for-Pound Rankings)
Joshua Van (2, P4P-11) vs. Alexandre Pantoja (1, P4P-2)
Young man things.
Yes, I picked Alexandre Pantoja to retain the first time he fought Joshua Van, mostly because I was still unsure of what we had with the gifted 24-year-old. We didn’t learn much from UFC 323, obviously, but it’s clear to me Van leveled up in his preparation for Pantoja and that played out in his incredible performance against Tatsuro Taira. Van is still a work in progress and nowhere near his peak, the question is has he evolved to the point that he can beat Pantoja?
I say yes.
At 36, Pantoja has made a habit of defying Father Time, but that can only last so long and while nine months without a fight can only be good for his health, I also think it’s dulled the iron ever so slightly. His elite grappling might have been too much for Van in their first meeting, we’ll never know. On Saturday? I’m certain he’ll have success grounding Van early, I’m just not as confident that strategy will be effective for five rounds.
Pantoja loves a standup scrap as well, but he doesn’t have the power to put Van away early and, again, if it comes down to who is more effective in the championship rounds, I’ll lean towards the considerably younger Van. It’s not just about age and athleticism, it’s about mentality, and Van is more than a match for Pantoja’s unique brand of crazy.
The torch shall be passed. Van by decision.
Pick: Van
Arman Tsarukyan (T2, P4P-16) vs. Mauricio Ruffy (10)
Arman Tsarukyan finds himself in a favorable grappler vs. striker matchup, but make no mistake, Mauricio Ruffy is no pushover.
Calling a guy who can spin kick your head off at any moment a “threat” is an understatement, so I think it’s unwise to completely dismiss Ruffy’s chances even if he’s at a major disadvantage in the wrestling department. His path to a victory is simple: Go on the offensive early, make Tsarukyan work for takedowns, get up, get up, get up again, and land a knockout blow at some point.
Tsarukyan has all the tools to stop that from happening. He has a good chin, is a solid striker in his own right, and has always found the right balance between control and attack when he takes his opponents down. Something tells me he’ll emphasize control on this occasion, out of respect for Ruffy and the title shot that is finally within reach.
In a sense, Ruffy is kind of a new-age Edson Barboza. Different fighting style, but you’d pick him to beat almost any lightweight in a standup battle and a few grapplers as well, just not the top tier of the most well-rounded fighters in the division. That’s where Tsarukyan ranks.
Tsarukyan scores a ground-and-pound victory and—gulp—earns his shot at Justin Gaethje.
Pick: Tsarukyan
Patricio Pitbull (15) vs. Doo Ho Choi
Old man things!
That’s right, I’m going with the ageless Patricio Pitbull to upset Doo Ho Choi, not exactly a spring chicken himself as he is currently in his 17th year as a pro. Can we start calling him “The Korean SuperMAN” yet?
Outdated nicknames aside, I like Pitbull’s technical skill to carry him to a win here. His UFC run hasn’t exactly set the octagon ablaze, but he’s still sharp on his feet and damn near impossible to finish. Choi will swing for the fences as usual, only to be rebuffed by Pitbull’s toughness and savvy. This will be a counter-heavy fight for Pitbull, a strategy he’s more than comfortable with.
After three rounds of tense striking clashes, I have Pitbull winning on points.
Pick: Pitbull
Gable Steveson vs. Sean Sharaf
We know what this matchmaking is and we don’t have to pretend otherwise.
Gable Steveson is still raw as an MMA fighter and any talk of him becoming a champion is premature, but we saw glimpses of the good and the bad in his UFC debut against Elisha Ellison. There will come a day when Steveson’s shortcomings are fully exposed if his handlers aren’t careful, but Sharaf is not the fighter I expect to spoil the party just yet.
As much as Steveson’s superior athleticism allows him to mess around on the feet, my guess is he shows off his elite wrestling and grounds Sharaf early, battering him with strikes until the opportunity for a fight-ending rear-naked choke presents itself.
Pick: Steveson
Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski
All bow down before the future light heavyweight GOAT!
OK, Iwo Baraniewski’s first three UFC wins might not be blowing your hair back—knocking out Junior Tafa, Austen Lane, and Ibo Aslan ain’t doing it for ya?—but there’s no questioning the 27-year-old Polish prospect has been damn impressive. None of his UFC fights have lasted longer than 90 seconds and he’s never fought past the four-minute mark in his career, numbers that are cause for both excitement and concern.
Alonzo Menifield knows a thing or two about upsets though. He just won a one-round thriller against highly vaunted slugger Zhang Mingyang in Zhang’s native China, and also handed Oumar Sy his first loss as a 5-to-1 underdog. There’s a reason Menifield is on his way to 20 UFC fights and currently has a number next to his name.
But Baraniewski has that death touch. I’m talking “Poatan”-level. Everything he throws hurts, especially when he’s able to close the distance and fire away in close quarters. Menifield has weathered some storms in his day, but I give him little chance of surviving the Baraniewski barrage.
Pick: Baraniewski
Preliminaries
Charles Jourdain def. Marlon Vera (13)
Robelis Despaigne def. Tai Tuivasa
Joo Sang Yoo def. Michael Aswell
Ryan Gandra def. Ozzy Diaz
Edmen Shahbazyan def. Brunno Ferreira
Casey O’Neill def. Eduarda Moura
Joanderson Brito def. Giga Chikadze
