Tsarukyan Torches Ruffy, Van Silences Doubters at UFC 331

We summarize the day's news in our own words. Full credit to the outlets below for the original reporting, click through to read their work:

• Tsarukyan wins at UFC 331, positions himself for title shot (ESPN MMA)
• Arman Tsarukyan crushes Mauricio Ruffy, strengthens UFC title-shot case (Sherdog)
• All-time UFC heavyweight champions (ESPN MMA)
• UFC 331 post-fight show: Reaction to Joshua Van and Arman Tsarukyan’s big wins, Gable Steveson’s brutal knockout loss (MMA Fighting)
• Alexandre Pantoja, one other fighter transported to hospital following ultra-violent UFC 331 (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Video: All 7 UFC 331 finishes from a wild night in Los Angeles (Sherdog)
• UFC 331 video: Jon Jones left stunned cageside watching protege Gable Steveson knocked out cold (MMA Fighting)
• Olympic champ Steveson KO'd in 12 seconds at UFC 331 (ESPN MMA)
• Current and all-time UFC champions (ESPN MMA)
• Arman Tsarukyan targeting quick return after calling out ‘scared’ Justin Gaethje following UFC 331 (Bloody Elbow)
• Dana White gets brutally honest about potential Josh Hokit title reign (Sherdog)
• ‘Van is on another level’: Pros react to Joshua Van winning rollicking UFC 331 main event over Alexandre Pantoja (MMA Fighting)
• Ultimate schedules Alessandro Costa vs Amir Albazi for November, in Qatar (Ag. Fight (BR))
• Joshua Van defends title with brilliant 5-round performance over Alexandre Pantoja in UFC 331 main event (MMA Fighting)

Welcome to Open Scoring MMA. This is episode 94 for September 20th, 2026, your daily look at what's happening now and next across the world of MMA and UFC. DUKE: Alright, let's get into it, because UFC 331 was an absolute war and the biggest story coming out of Los Angeles is Arman Tsarukyan.
NORA: First round knockout over Mauricio Ruffy in the co-main.
DUKE: One round. That's it.
NORA: And it matters because Tsarukyan had to pull out of a title fight back in January of twenty twenty five with an injury, so this was him rebuilding the case from scratch.
DUKE: And he rebuilt it in about four minutes.
NORA: He's the number one contender at lightweight again, full stop, no asterisk. That's about as direct as Dana gets on tape.
DUKE: It tells you Tsarukyan needed to clean up more than just his ranking position, and this was the receipt for both.
NORA: Right, and now the phone call everyone wants is Justin Gaethje, and we'll get to that in a second because Tsarukyan already went there himself.
DUKE: Oh, he went there. But first, the main event, because Joshua Van just made a massive statement.
NORA: Unanimous decision over Alexandre Pantoja, five full rounds, and Van retains the flyweight title.
DUKE: This was the rematch nobody could call a fluke anymore.
NORA: Their first meeting ended early because Pantoja hurt his arm inside thirty seconds, so for nine months Van had people saying his win didn't count.
DUKE: Twenty five minutes of a back and forth war answers that pretty clearly.
NORA: Van's boxing and his speed were the difference, and pros around the sport were reacting live saying Van is on another level.
DUKE: That's not a small thing to hear from other fighters after a fight like that.
NORA: No, and it locks him in as the guy at one twenty five for the foreseeable future.
DUKE: Now the ugly part of the night. Gable Steveson.
NORA: Knocked out in twelve seconds by Sean Sharaf. Twelve seconds, in just his second fight inside the octagon.
DUKE: The Olympic gold medalist, and it's over before you can even settle into your seat.
NORA: Jon Jones was cageside for it, in Steveson's corner, and by the video he looked genuinely stunned watching it happen to a guy he's been mentoring.
DUKE: That's a brutal wake up call for a heavyweight prospect who's still figuring out the striking side of the sport.
NORA: One finish like that doesn't end a career, but it absolutely resets expectations for how fast he was going to climb.
DUKE: And on the medical side, the promotion confirmed two fighters, including Alexandre Pantoja, were taken to the hospital afterward for precautionary evaluations.
NORA: Precautionary is the key word there, nothing worse reported, but after a card with seven finishes, that tells you how violent this one actually was.
DUKE: Seven finishes on one card is wild.
NORA: It really was one of the crazier nights of the year.
DUKE: Okay, let's get into the beef, because Tsarukyan did not wait even a night to start calling people out.
NORA: He wants Justin Gaethje, and he wants it soon. Quote, I don't have any injuries, I'm healthy, if they told me December that would be great, I could do camp in October and November, I need one or two weeks to rest so I'm ready, end quote.
DUKE: That's a guy asking for a turnaround most fighters wouldn't touch.
NORA: And he didn't stop there. He went after Gaethje directly, saying, quote, Justin Gaethje never says my name, he's scared and he knows I'm coming, he wanted Ruffy to knock me out because he's trying to avoid me and trying to call out Ilia Topuria or he's asking for fifteen million dollars to fight me or he'll retire, end quote.
DUKE: Fifteen million dollars to fight him. That's a specific number to throw out there.
NORA: It is, and whether that figure's real or just Tsarukyan needling him, it's effective needling because now everyone's asking the question.
DUKE: And on the lighter side, Dana White also got asked about a potential Josh Hokit title reign, and he was pretty blunt that he's not exactly thrilled about that scenario.
NORA: It's not a ringing endorsement, and when the boss himself isn't sold on a path to gold, that's worth remembering for that weight class going forward.
DUKE: The community on X was all over this fight before it even happened, by the way. There were breakdowns floating around calling Tsarukyan versus Ruffy exactly what it turned out to be, the fight that puts the winner in position for Gaethje.
NORA: People called the stakes right. Nobody called the first round finish.
DUKE: Nobody. Speaking of calling things right, and wrong, we've got some receipts to settle from this card.
NORA: Yeah, let's own these.
DUKE: I picked another fighter to be hunting a bonus at UFC 331.
NORA: And I said the word was he was chasing a specific bonus if he kept finishing people that fast.
DUKE: Instead, the bonus went to another fighter.
NORA: We were both wrong on that one. Flat out.
DUKE: No wriggling out of it.
NORA: Nope. But I did call Tsarukyan the pick heading into this weekend.
DUKE: You did, and Tsarukyan won.
NORA: So that one's on the board for me.
DUKE: One for one on the big one, that's not bad.
NORA: I'll take it.
DUKE: Alright, let's move to roster stuff and booking news. The Ultimate has locked in Alessandro Costa against Amir Albazi for November the twenty first at UFC Doha in Qatar.
NORA: This one actually matters for the flyweight rankings. Costa's been on a roll, and Albazi's a name that's been circling the title picture for a while.
DUKE: A win there for either guy puts them right back in the mix behind Van.
NORA: Exactly, it's a real eliminator type fight even if nobody's calling it that officially.
DUKE: Now let's look ahead, because the schedule does not slow down. Dana White's Contender Series, season ten, week seven, is this Tuesday, in two days.
NORA: Norbert Novenyi Junior takes on Theo Haig in the main event.
DUKE: Contender Series is always fun because you're watching guys fight for a contract in real time.
NORA: And it's a good measuring stick for who the promotion's actually excited about for twenty twenty seven.
DUKE: Then this Saturday, in six days, we get UFC Fight Night, Rosas Junior versus Barcelos.
NORA: Raoni Barcelos against Raul Rosas Junior headlines.
DUKE: Rosas Junior's always must watch, he's still one of the younger names people want to see develop.
NORA: And after that we're into UFC 332, Silva versus Wang, on October the third.
DUKE: Natalia Silva takes on Wang Cong.
NORA: That fight is actually our pick of the week, so let's dig into it.
DUKE: Alright, model's on Talbott. Talk me into it.
NORA: Eighty four percent for Payton Talbott.
DUKE: Eighty four. That's a lot. Okay, so why are we that confident?
NORA: Size, mostly.
DUKE: That's a real physical gap, not a small one.
NORA: And style wise, that reach plus the switch stance is a problem for his opponent, who likes to close distance and get inside.
DUKE: So if Talbott keeps him on the end of punches all night.
NORA: His opponent never gets to do the thing he's best at.
DUKE: So the model likes the younger, longer, hungrier guy.
NORA: That's the read. Payton Talbott, that's our guy for October third.
DUKE: I'm not fighting you on that one.
NORA: Good, because after that bonus business I need a win.
DUKE: Fair. And there's more on the horizon too, UFC Fight Night, Allen versus Duncan, October the tenth, Brendan Allen against Christian Leroy Duncan.
NORA: And the week after that, Buckley versus Malott, with Mike Malott facing Joaquin Buckley.
DUKE: That's a heavy month of fights coming, no letup at all.
NORA: None, and with Tsarukyan already banging on Gaethje's door, don't be shocked if lightweight news breaks before we even get to October third.
One more thing before we go. Payton Talbott is our pick. Who have you got, and why? And while you're here, two quick ones. Our free Fight Tracker is at tracker dot open scoring m m a dot com, with every upcoming UFC and PFL card, live odds, and where to watch, all in one place. And follow us on YouTube, just search Open Scoring MMA, for breaking news alerts, fight breakdowns, and videos you won't get here on the feed. That's it for today's Open Scoring MMA. Keep your hands up, and we'll see you next time.