Skip to main content
← All news

Title Picturevia ESPN MMA

Joshua Van Beats Pantoja Again, Tsarukyan Starches Ruffy at UFC 331

Van retains the flyweight title, reportedly over an injured camp. Tsarukyan knocks out Ruffy and calls out Gaethje. And Gable Steveson gets flattened in twelve seconds.

Illustration: a fighter landing a knockout punch, the opponent falling backward
Illustration by Open Scoring MMA. Generated art, not a photograph, and not a likeness of any real fighter.

Joshua Van is not a fluke champion. This one reportedly turned into an absolute war, and Van pulled it off despite revealing afterward that he was dealing with an injury heading into camp that kept him from sparring properly. Two fighters, including Pantoja, were taken to the hospital afterward as a precaution, which tells you everything about how physical this one got. We're hearing Pantoja came back from nearly a year away to chase this fight, and he still couldn't get past Van. At 125 pounds, Van has now beaten the guy most people considered the standard-bearer twice, and the matchmakers are already trying to figure out who else can even test him. Arman Tsarukyan did exactly what he needed to do in the co-main. He knocked out Mauricio Ruffy in the first round with six seconds left on the clock, landing a standing elbow that dropped Ruffy before dispatching him with elbows. It was the kind of violent, decisive statement the UFC apparently couldn't ignore, because Tsarukyan wasted no time afterward calling out Justin Gaethje, saying he's already talked to Dana White about a title shot and accusing Gaethje of avoiding him. Whether that fight gets made right away or not, Tsarukyan reestablished himself as the top contender at 155 with one of the nastiest knockouts of his career. The fight nobody expected to be the story of the night ended up being Gable Steveson's. The Olympic gold medalist, hyped as the next big thing at heavyweight, got knocked out cold by Sean Sharaf in just 12 seconds. Sharaf has gone from unknown to headline news overnight, and Steveson is dealing with the fallout, including criticism from Daniel Cormier over how he handled leaving the cage afterward. This was supposed to be a showcase step up the ladder for Steveson. Casey O'Neill delivered the highlight of the card. After nearly getting caught in an anaconda choke early against Eduarda Moura, she reversed the position and finished with a spectacular armbar off her back, the kind of scramble finish that instantly becomes a submission of the year candidate. Robelis Despaigne reportedly handed Tai Tuivasa a loss by split decision in his return after two years out of the cage. Alonzo Menifield ground out a split decision over Iwo Baraniewski despite fighting through a broken thumb that a doctor had to examine before the third round. Michael Aswell Jr. edged JooSang Yoo by unanimous decision, and we're hearing Patricio Pitbull may have turned back the clock with a big win. Alonzo Menifield added to a card that had way more chaos in it than the poster suggested.

Sources (47)

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

This story ran in the September 19, 2026 edition of the daily show.