UFC 331 fight card predictions: Expert picks, odds for Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja in Los Angeles

Check out who the experts at CBS Sports are taking in the flyweight title fight on Saturday

Sep 18, 2026 at 12:53 pm ET • 5 min read

UFC 331 goes down on Saturday in Los Angeles. In the main event, Joshua Van will defend the UFC flyweight championship against the man he defeated to take the belt, Alexandre Pantoja.

Van won the belt when Pantoja injured his arm less than 30 seconds into their first meeting. Van is now looking to use the rematch to prove he is truly the top dog in the division, while Pantoja is battling to prove he still deserves the crown.

In the co-main event, Arman Tsarukyan will battle Mauricio Ruffy in a pivotal lightweight battle. Tsarukyan believes a win will land him in a lightweight title fight, but he faces a tough challenge in the hard-hitting Ruffy.

Sign up for Paramount+ and watch UFC 331 for no additional fee -- every UFC numbered event and UFC Fight Night is included with your subscription! Plans start as low as $8.99/month or $89.99/year!

UFC 331: Joshua Van, Alexandre Pantoja add an unusual touch of bad blood to rivalry in rematch

Brian Campbell

With so much happening on Saturday night, let's look more closely at the full fight card with the latest odds before we get to our staff predictions and picks for the main card that you can consider before hitting the sportsbooks.

UFC 331 fight card, odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook (Odds as of Sept. 18)

• Joshua Van (c) -135 vs. Alexandre Pantoja +114, flyweight title
• Arman Tsarukyan -305 vs. Mauricio Ruffy +245, lightweights
• Dooho Choi -285 vs. Patricio Pitbull +215, featherweights
• Gable Steveson -2100 vs. Sean Sharaf +1100, heavyweights
• Iwo Baraniewski -250 vs. Alonzo Menifield +205, Light heavyweights
• Charles Jourdain -205 vs. Marlon Vera +170, bantamweights
• Robelis Despaigne -575 vs. Tai Tuivasa +425, heavyweights
• Joosang Yoo -225 vs. Michael Aswell Jr. +185, featherweights
• Ryan Gandra -550 vs. Ozzy Diaz +410, middleweights
• Edmen Shahbazyan -180 vs. Brunno Ferreira +150, middleweights
• Casey O'Neill -230 vs. Eduarda Moura +190, women's flyweights
• Joanderson Brito -410 vs. Giga Chikadze +320, featherweights

UFC 331 expert picks

With such a massive main event on tap, the crew at CBS Sports went ahead with predictions and picks for the main card from Brian Campbell, Brent Brookhouse, Shakiel Mahjouri, Michael Mormile and Brandon Wise.

	Campbell	Brookhouse	Mahjouri	Mormile	Wise
Van (c) vs. Pantoja	Pantoja SUB4	Van TKO2	Van KO1	Pantoja SUB3	Van UD
Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy	Tsarukyan TKO4	Tsarukyan Sub3	Tsarukyan TKO3	Tsarukyan UD	Tsarukyan UD
Pitbull vs. Choi	Choi TKO3	Choi UD	Choi TKO3	Choi UD	Choi UD
Steveson vs. Sharaf	Steveson SUB2	Steveson KO1	Steveson TKO1	Steveson TKO1	Steveson SUB1
Iwo vs. Menifield	Iwo TKO1	Iwo KO1	Iwo KO1	Iwo TKO1	Iwo KO1
Records to date	24-18	25-17	26-16	24-18	18-24

Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja predictions

Campbell: After losing his title due to a dislocated elbow suffered just 26 seconds into his first bout with Van last December, the 36-year-old Pantoja has built quite an impressive set of chips on his shoulders as he enters the rematch as a betting underdog. Yes, the 24-year-old Van showed incredible fighting spirit in his first title defense in May when he made the necessary mid-fight adjustments to hold off and finish Tatsuro Taira in their five-round war. But Pantoja still holds key advantages in both overall skills and experience, even if he's getting a bit long in the tooth. Let's not forget how much better Pantoja got as a fighter after winning the flyweight title so late in his UFC run. The Brazilian legend has enough motivation to endure Van's offensive storm early and put himself in position to start a second reign as champion. 

Brookhouse: Van's showing against Taira was fantastic and showed he has the wrestling and grappling skills to stay out of the worst types of danger. Pantoja is a very good fighter, but he isn't likely to beat Van on the feet. Pantoja is also fairly old for the division and returning from injury, so he has a lot working against him heading into the fight. Van is growing into his spot as a truly elite fighter, and if he gets his offense going early, it could spell a quick end for Pantoja.

Mahjouri:  Van made this analysis much tougher after showing out against Taira. Sure, Taira took him down, but more importantly, he couldn't keep him down. Van is young and error-prone, but he's shown smart decision-making in working out of bad positions. Pantoja is rightfully upset heading into the rematch. He's the second-best flyweight ever, and he didn't lose the title convincingly, but he's already being forgotten. Saturday's challenger has the grappling, grit and experience to beat the young gun. Van has the striking, bravado and youthful stubbornness to show up and show out.

We'll see the best version of Van on Saturday. At best, we'll see a version of Pantoja on par with his previous peak. Where those two peaks meet is the difficult question to answer. What I'm certain of is that if Pantoja will ever beat Van, it has to be this version of the champion. He can't afford more growth from Van as Pantoja's inevitable decline begins. It's a coin toss, but I'm going to shoot for the stars and predict a repeat of Conor McGregor's shocking knockout of Jose Aldo.

Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy predictions

Campbell: Although it took him a long time to get back into title contention after pulling out of a UFC 311 rematch with Islam Makhachev, a clear victory by stoppage should secure Tsarukyan his date with gold. For all of the danger Ruffy brings to the table offensively, his wrestling skills just aren't on the same level of Tsarukyan, which was evidenced by Ruffy's disastrous 2025 loss to Benoit Saint Denis. Look for Tsarukyan to use his top position pressure to tire Ruffy in this five-round co-headliner to set up room for the finish. 

Brookhouse: Ruffy is a very dangerous striker, but he has deficiencies in grappling, which is where Tsarukyan excels. Ruffy likes to throw kicks, which can also set Tsarukyan up for easier paths to takedowns. Saint Denis laid out the blueprint for how to rip through Ruffy, but I don't believe Tsarukyan presents the same immediate danger in his submission game that Saint Denis does. Instead of a quick finish, look for Tsarukyan to grind Ruffy down, test his cardio and find a finish in the second half of the fight.

Mahjouri: I completely believe that Ruffy has evolved through training with Alexander Volkanovski. I'm less convinced Ruffy has covered enough ground to beat Tsarukyan. We're one year removed from Saint Denis mauling Ruffy on the ground. Tsarukyan is leagues ahead of BSD. He's taken down everyone he's fought, including Islam Makhachev in Tsarukyan's UFC debut, except for the people Tsarukyan knocked out in one round. Don't get it twisted either; this isn't as simple as Ruffy fending off takedowns and dominating on the feet. Tsarukyan has a great chin; he's never been knocked out. Combine that with solid striking fundamentals, reasonable power and elite experience, and he has so many tools at his disposal. I think he finishes Ruffy.