The flyweight title rematch is set for a major headlining role, plus Arman Tsarukyan is set for his return

Aug 5, 2026

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7:53 pm ET

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The main and co-main event for the MMA leader’s return to Los Angeles are officially set for Sept. 19. UFC 331 will see a flyweight title fight in the main event from the Crypto.com Arena.

Flyweight champion Joshua Van will face former titleholder Alexandre Pantoja in a rematch headlining the card, UFC announced on Wednesday via social media. In the co-main event, No. 2-ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan squares off against No. 7 Mauricio Ruffy in a five-round non-title bout. 

The 24-year-old Van (17-2) captured the 125-pound title last December against Pantoja (30-5) at UFC 323 by first-round TKO after the 36-year-old Brazilian legend suffered an arm injury just 26 seconds into the bout. Van, a native of Myanmar, went on to defend the title in May by stopping Tatsuro Taira via fifth-round TKO in a fight of the year candidate. 

Tsarukyan (23-3), the 29-year-old Armenian from Georgia, returns to Los Angeles for the first time since he pulled out of a rematch against Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title in January 2025 at UFC 311 one day before the event due to a back injury sustained while cutting weight. He takes on the 30-year-old Ruffy (14-2), an exciting native of Brazil, who is 5-1 in the UFC since his 2024 debut.

UFC 331 also includes the return of heavyweight prospect and 2020 U.S. Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson against Sean Sharaf, a Renato Moicano-Brian Ortega rematch at lightweight and an all-action featherweight bout featuring Patricio “Pitbull” Cruz and Dooho Choi. Check out the full card announced for Los Angeles below.

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UFC 331 fight card