Joshua Van continued to showcase why he is considered among the best fighters in the world this weekend, after he claimed a unanimous decision win over Alexandre Pantoja in the main event of UFC331 at the Crypto.com Arena on Sunday morning.
The Flyweight champion had to work hard to retain his belt as fans in the arena witnessed one of the most thrilling UFC main events in recent memory.
Pantoja pressed the gas early in the fight and attempted to put Van on the backfoot in the first round with an array of strikes as he found his range and rhythm. However, Van kicked into gear in both the second and third rounds as he began to find his footing, while he defended well after being taken down.
Pantoja’s best moment came in the fourth round after he put Van on the canvas but was unable to see out a successful ground and pound.
Van ended the fight strongly, landing a couple of combinations that led to Pantoja being dropped. Nonetheless, the 24-year-old champion showcased his class by enduring adversity while remaining active in heated moments.
In the Co-main event, Arman Tsarukyan slotted himself into the No 1 contender position in the Lightweight division following a dramatic knockout win over Mauricio Ruffy.
After taking heavy hits early on, Tsarukyan attempted to grapple with Ruffy; however, the latter successfully fended off the Armenian’s wrestling shots midway through the first round. Then, moments before the first buzz, the two were locked against the fence, prompting Tsarukyan to unload two swift elbows that knocked Ruffy out.
UFC 331 Main Card results:
Joshua Van defeated Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 50-45)
Arman Tsarukyan defeated Mauricio Ruffy by KO (elbows) at 4:56 of Round 1
Patricio Pitbull defeated Dooho Choi by KO (strikes) at 3:28 of Round 1
Sean Sharaf defeated Gable Steveson by KO (left hand) at 0:12 of Round 1
Alonzo Menifield defeated Iwo Baraniewski by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)