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.
- Van beats Pantoja again to validate win from December (ESPN MMA)
- Arman Tsarukyan Says Justin Gaethje Is Next After UFC 331 Win (Cageside Press)
- Michael Aswell Jr. Beats JooSang Yoo By Split Decision At UFC 331 - Highlights (MiddleEasy)
- Arman Tsarukyan may finally be out of UFC’s doghouse after what Dana White said about his ‘comeback’ (Bloody Elbow)
- Mick Maynard's Shoes: What's next for Joshua Van after UFC 331 title defense? (Yahoo Sports)
- Joshua Van Reveals Injury Following UFC 331 Victory (Yahoo Sports)
- Gable Steveson’s manager uses Islam Makhachev’s KO loss to encourage his fighter after UFC 331 (Bloody Elbow)
- Casey O’Neill Reacts to UFC 331 Win over Eduarda Morua (Yahoo Sports)
- Ariel Helwani reacts to UFC 331 results, MSG fight announcements (The Ariel Helwani Show)
- The Bigger Picture | Crypto.com UFC 331: Van vs Pantoja 2 (UFC)
- Dana White reacts to Gable Steveson's UFC 331 loss, early cage exit (Yahoo Sports)
- Robelis Despaigne Reacts to Beating Tai Tuivasa at UFC 331 (Yahoo Sports)
- Arman Tsarukyan Reacts to KO Over Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 (Yahoo Sports)
- Alexandre Pantoja, one other fighter transported to hospital following ultra-violent UFC 331 (MMA Mania)
- Sean Sharaf breaks silence after knocking out Gable Steveson (MMA Weekly)
- Joshua Van reveals he fought UFC 331 with debilitating injury which affected fight camp (Bloody Elbow)
- Casey O’Neill Breaks Down Wild UFC 331 Submission, Post-Fight Confrontation (Cageside Press)
- How does Gable Steveson come back from the disaster that was UFC 331? (MMA Mania)
- Daniel Cormier, Joe Rogan critical of how Gable Steveson handled UFC 331 KO loss (Yahoo Sports)
- Sean Sharaf breaks silence after knocking out Gable Steveson (Yahoo Sports)
- UFC 331 results: Sooo … About last night | Van vs. Pantoja 2 (MMA Mania)
- UFC 331’s Sean Sharaf on Steveson: “He’s Going to Get Better” (Cageside Press)
- UFC 331 Results: Biggest winners, loser from ‘Van vs. Pantoja 2’ last night (MMA Mania)
- Dana White refuses to condemn Gable Steveson for storming out of the Octagon after loss at UFC 331 (Bloody Elbow)
- Gable Steveson conqueror, Sean Sharaf, is a half-million dollars in debt (even after UFC 331 payout): ‘I’m about to file bankruptcy’ (MMA Mania)
- Manager: Gable Steveson will have 'legendary career' despite UFC 331 loss (Yahoo Sports)
- Joshua Van Reveals Injury Prevented Sparring Ahead of UFC 331 (Cageside Press)
- Arman Tsarukyan rips Justin Gaethje after winning UFC 331 title eliminator: ‘He’s trying to avoid me’ (MMA Mania)
- Dana White reacts to Gable Steveson getting flatlined at UFC 331 – ‘He had huge expectations’ (MMA Mania)
- UFC 331, The Morning After: Will Gable Steveson ever fight again after embarrassing 12-second knockout loss? (MMA Mania)
- Watch Alexander Volkanovski’s heartbroken corner reaction to Arman Tsarukyan KO’ing Mauricio Ruffy (Bloody Elbow)
- Van beats Pantoja to retain UFC flyweight title (Yahoo Sports)
- Former WWE Prospect Gable Steveson Loses UFC Fight In 12 Seconds (Yahoo Sports)
- Joshua Van makes startling admission after UFC 331 title win (Yahoo Sports)
- Dana White answers Arman Tsarukyan’s request to challenge Justin Gaethje after UFC 331 (Bloody Elbow)
- Arman Tsarukyan says Justin Gaethje is scared to fight him: ‘He’s trying to avoid me’ (Yahoo Sports)
- Charles Jourdain reveals terrifying reason he waved off UFC 331 fight himself (Yahoo Sports)
- Gable Steveson conqueror, Sean Sharaf, is a half-million dollars in debt (even after UFC 331 payout): ‘I’m about to file bankruptcy’ (Yahoo Sports)
- UFC 331 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Joshua Van leads card (Yahoo Sports)
- UFC 331 commissioners’ argument over scoring of Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja revealed (Bloody Elbow)
- Gable Steveson called ‘ungrateful loser’ by Daniel Cormier for his reaction after UFC 331 upset (Bloody Elbow)
- Alexandre Pantoja, one other fighter transported to hospital following ultra-violent UFC 331 (Yahoo Sports)
- Arman Tsarukyan targeting quick return after calling out ‘scared’ Justin Gaethje following UFC 331 (Bloody Elbow)
- Arman Tsarukyan Says Justin Gaethje is ‘Scared’ to Fight Him (Yahoo Sports)
- Alonzo Menifield Beats Iwo Baraniewski With Broken Thumb At UFC 331 - Highlights (MiddleEasy)
- Tsarukyan wins at UFC 331, positions himself for title shot (ESPN MMA)
- UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja 2 results (ESPN)
This story ran in the September 19, 2026 edition of the daily show.
