UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja 2

Twenty-six seconds settled nothing. On Saturday, September 19, Crypto.com Arena hosts the flyweight title rematch: champion Joshua Van (17-2), whose UFC 323 win ended on a 26-second arm injury, against former champion Alexandre "The Cannibal" Pantoja (30-6) and the grappling tax that never got answered. Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy takes the five-round co-main. Model lean: Van 52–48. Live on Paramount+ at 5:00 PM ET / 2:00 PM PT.

UFC 331 Van vs Pantoja 2 official poster — Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, September 19, 2026
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Los Angeles, California, United States
Crypto.com Arena
⚡ Upcoming Event12 Fights
Main Card: Paramount+
Prelims: Paramount+
Start Time: 5:00 PM ET
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Times are estimated; prelims start roughly two hours earlier. Subject to change.
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5:00 PM
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Pacific US/Canada (Local)
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2:00 PM
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United Kingdom / Ireland
Main Card
10:00 PM
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Central Europe
Main Card
11:00 PM
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Abu Dhabi, UAE
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Los Angeles: 26 Seconds Settled Nothing

The 0:26 arm-injury stoppage at UFC 323 answered nothing: champion Joshua Van (17-2) runs it back against Alexandre Pantoja (30-6) and the grappling tax he never had to solve. Model lean: Van 52–48, with Tsarukyan 64–36 (editorial) in the five-round co-main.

Co-main: Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy (5 rounds)📺 Paramount+🕒 5:00 PM ET / 2:00 PM PTFull preview & FAQ ↓

UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja 2 Fights, Analytics & Predictions

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BetOnline is our preferred reference when available. We show the selected source and implied probability; this is not a guarantee of the best price across all books. Check the capture date before treating an estimated edge as current.

Flyweight · 5 rounds

How to read these filters

Market differences are not a ranking of best bets. Conviction is editorial; a close matchup does not automatically mean poor data.

Fights shown: 13/13 · Analyses available: 13/13

Main Card

🏆 Main eventEstablished UFC sample (5+ bouts each)11 / 18 UFC boutsCounts follow fighter order. The smaller UFC sample determines the color: under 3 red, 3–4 yellow, 5+ green. Sample size is not a win probability or a measure of analysis quality.
🏆 UFC Flyweight Championship
5 Rounds

Model estimate

52%VS48%

Tactical key

Twenty-six seconds settled an arm injury, not a championship. Van has to keep this standing long enough for 8.43 strikes a minute to score; Pantoja has to turn 2.79 takedowns and 1.00 submissions per fifteen into attacking positions over five rounds. Neither moneyline is the play — the method markets are.

Joshua Van

Freshness unverified
Estimated EV
-8.6%
Fair decimal odds
1.92
Reference quote-132 (BetOnline)

Alexandre Pantoja

Freshness unverified
Estimated EV
+2.2%
Fair decimal odds
2.08
Reference quote+113 (BetOnline)
Uncertainty & price details Analyst conviction: 3/10

What limits this estimate

  • The first fight covered 1.7% of a championship bout and ended on an arm injury — it tested nothing.
  • Pantoja attempts 2.79 takedowns per fifteen minutes with six Octagon submissions; Van has 0.20 submission attempts and has never faced a back take in a title fight.
  • Van has no fourth or fifth round on record. Pantoja has six, averaging 152 and 155 seconds of control.

Joshua Van: Reach the second round on his feet. He lands 58.7 significant strikes in an average second round and 42.3 in a third, and 75% takedown defence is the tool that keeps the fight standing long enough for those numbers to arrive.

Alexandre Pantoja: Make it a wrestling match and make it long. 2.79 takedowns per fifteen minutes, 1.00 submission attempts, six Octagon chokes, and 152 seconds of average control in a fourth round nobody has ever taken Joshua Van into.

Joshua Van

Reference quote: -132 (BetOnline)

Edge vs no-vig market: -2.8 pp

Freshness unverified

Alexandre Pantoja

Reference quote: +113 (BetOnline)

Edge vs no-vig market: +2.8 pp

Freshness unverified

Editorial assessment of the evidence, not a win probability or a calibrated confidence interval.

Read full analysis
⭐ Co-MainEstablished UFC sample (5+ bouts each)12 / 6 UFC boutsCounts follow fighter order. The smaller UFC sample determines the color: under 3 red, 3–4 yellow, 5+ green. Sample size is not a win probability or a measure of analysis quality.
Lightweight
5 Rounds

Editorial estimate

64%VS36%

Tactical key

Tsarukyan's 3.26 takedowns per fifteen are the repeatable route; Ruffy's 87% takedown defence and first-blitz power are the reversal. Over five rounds the cost of failed entries decides it. Editorial 64–36 Tsarukyan — the market at −288 is ahead of that line.

Arman Tsarukyan

Freshness unverified
Estimated EV
-13.8%
Fair decimal odds
1.56
Reference quote-288 (BetOnline)

Mauricio Ruffy

Freshness unverified
Estimated EV
+21.7%
Fair decimal odds
2.78
Reference quote+238 (BetOnline)
Uncertainty & price details Analyst conviction: 5/10

What limits this estimate

  • This is an editorial five-round handicap, not a calibrated simulation.
  • The comparison is not adjusted for strength of opposition. Takedown accuracy and division rankings need separate verification. Historical round averages describe different opponents and may come from other divisions.
  • The strongest reversal is Ruffy repeatedly defending in balance and punishing the next entry before Tsarukyan can connect phases.

Arman Tsarukyan: Set up entries with credible striking, chain attempts without rushing and accumulate offence from positions that reduce countering opportunities.

Mauricio Ruffy: Keep the first entry expensive, defend the follow-up and reset at a range where counters can be delivered without conceding contact.

Arman Tsarukyan

Reference quote: -288 (BetOnline)

Edge vs no-vig market: -7.5 pp

Freshness unverified

Mauricio Ruffy

Reference quote: +238 (BetOnline)

Edge vs no-vig market: +7.5 pp

Freshness unverified

Editorial assessment of the evidence, not a win probability or a calibrated confidence interval.

Read full analysis
Main CardDeveloping UFC sample (3–4 bouts)3 / 10 UFC boutsCounts follow fighter order. The smaller UFC sample determines the color: under 3 red, 3–4 yellow, 5+ green. Sample size is not a win probability or a measure of analysis quality.
Featherweight
3 Rounds

Model estimate

52%VS48%

Tactical key

Pitbull cannot out-box 5.00 SLpM and three inches of reach; he has to make it dirty. Choi's six UFC wins are six knockouts. Model 52–48 Pitbull; the book has Choi −270. Pedigree versus power, and almost no UFC sample on the side we lean.

Patricio Pitbull

Freshness unverified
Estimated EV
+68.5%
Fair decimal odds
1.92
Reference quote+224 (BetOnline)

Doo Ho Choi

Freshness unverified
Estimated EV
-34.2%
Fair decimal odds
2.08
Reference quote-270 (BetOnline)
Uncertainty & price details Analyst conviction: 2/10

What limits this estimate

  • Every Pitbull rate here comes from three Octagon bouts; the résumé that makes him chalk was built in Bellator.
  • 2.77 landed against 4.61 absorbed is a damage ratio of 0.60 — half the featherweight average.
  • Choi's six UFC wins are six knockouts, at 0.81 knockdowns per fifteen minutes and 17th in the division.

Patricio Pitbull: Make it dirty and make it long. Clinch entries, body work, takedown attempts against a 59% defence, and a scramble that turns into the submission he has hit roughly a dozen times in his career — because he cannot out-box a man with three inches and 5.00 strikes a minute.

Doo Ho Choi: Fight at length and let the arithmetic run. A jab into a 45% accuracy, a right hand on the entry, and an absorption rate of 4.61 that he only has to punish once. His two most likely finishing rounds are the second and third.

Patricio Pitbull

Reference quote: +224 (BetOnline)

Edge vs no-vig market: +22.3 pp

Freshness unverified

Doo Ho Choi

Reference quote: -270 (BetOnline)

Edge vs no-vig market: -22.3 pp

Freshness unverified

Editorial assessment of the evidence, not a win probability or a calibrated confidence interval.

Read full analysis
Main CardDeveloping UFC sample (3–4 bouts)3 / 18 UFC boutsCounts follow fighter order. The smaller UFC sample determines the color: under 3 red, 3–4 yellow, 5+ green. Sample size is not a win probability or a measure of analysis quality.
Light Heavyweight
3 Rounds

Model estimate

56%VS44%

Tactical key

Baraniewski is 3-0 UFC, all first-round TKOs at 11.35 SLpM — and 8.65 absorbed. Menifield is 38, in his hometown, with ten UFC wins and four KO losses inside ten minutes. Model 56–44 Baraniewski; −210 is a prospect premium on a one-round sample.

Iwo Baraniewski

Freshness unverified
Estimated EV
-17.3%
Fair decimal odds
1.79
Reference quote-210 (BetOnline)

Alonzo Menifield

Freshness unverified
Estimated EV
+21.9%
Fair decimal odds
2.27
Reference quote+177 (BetOnline)
Uncertainty & price details Analyst conviction: 4/10

What limits this estimate

  • The composites favour Menifield 53 to 51 overall and 53.5 to 53 on technique — the lean overrides them, it does not follow them.
  • 8.65 significant strikes absorbed per minute is more than double the division average, into a man with seven career knockdowns dealt.
  • Baraniewski has no second round, no third round and no decision anywhere on his UFC record; Menifield has ten, seven and four respectively.

Iwo Baraniewski: The fourth first round. Eleven strikes a minute at 57% accuracy against a 51% defence, thrown at a 38-year-old who has been knocked out four times inside ten minutes — the shortest path on the page and the one he has already walked three times.

Alonzo Menifield: Ten more minutes. Menifield does not have to beat the swarm, he has to outlive it; his output rises every round, his knockdown rate falls, and his opponent has never fought a sixth minute in this promotion.

Iwo Baraniewski

Reference quote: -210 (BetOnline)

Edge vs no-vig market: -9.2 pp

Freshness unverified

Alonzo Menifield

Reference quote: +177 (BetOnline)

Edge vs no-vig market: +9.2 pp

Freshness unverified

Editorial assessment of the evidence, not a win probability or a calibrated confidence interval.

Read full analysis

Prelims

PrelimsEstablished UFC sample (5+ bouts each)17 / 26 UFC boutsCounts follow fighter order. The smaller UFC sample determines the color: under 3 red, 3–4 yellow, 5+ green. Sample size is not a win probability or a measure of analysis quality.
Bantamweight
3 Rounds

Model estimate

45%VS55%

Tactical key

Jourdain out-lands Vera in every round on the historical record (5.36 vs 4.18 SLpM). Vera's case is the chin — one knockdown in 72 rounds — and 71% takedown defence into Jourdain's 46%. Model 55–45 Vera; BetOnline has Jourdain −233. The market is inverted.

Charles Jourdain

Freshness unverified
Estimated EV
-35.7%
Fair decimal odds
2.22
Reference quote-233 (BetOnline)

Marlon Vera

Freshness unverified
Estimated EV
+62.3%
Fair decimal odds
1.82
Reference quote+195 (BetOnline)
Uncertainty & price details Analyst conviction: 5/10

What limits this estimate

  • Jourdain out-lands him in all three rounds and ranks 13th of 79 in output to Vera's 42nd.
  • Vera has lost his last three logged bouts, all on the cards, all to men who simply out-worked him.
  • The submission edge is thinner than it reads — four UFC submissions each, and Vera's last was July 2019.

Charles Jourdain: Fifteen minutes at distance. He lands 5.36 a minute to Vera's 4.18 and out-strikes him in all three rounds on the historical record — if the fight never breaks structure, the cards come to him.

Marlon Vera: One broken structure. A clinch, a scramble, a takedown into Jourdain's 46% defence — Vera's whole 55% rests on the fight becoming something other than a boxing match.

Charles Jourdain

Reference quote: -233 (BetOnline)

Edge vs no-vig market: -22.4 pp

Freshness unverified

Marlon Vera

Reference quote: +195 (BetOnline)

Edge vs no-vig market: +22.4 pp

Freshness unverified

Editorial assessment of the evidence, not a win probability or a calibrated confidence interval.

Read full analysis
PrelimsLimited UFC sample (<3 bouts)2 / 3 UFC boutsCounts follow fighter order. The smaller UFC sample determines the color: under 3 red, 3–4 yellow, 5+ green. Sample size is not a win probability or a measure of analysis quality.
Middleweight
3 Rounds

Model estimate

59%VS41%
Ozzy Diaz

Ozzy Diaz

10-4-0

Tactical key

Gandra's 11.71 SLpM and two first-round UFC TKOs run into Diaz's 6.52 absorption and a 79-inch reach. Model 59–41 Gandra. No BetOnline line is posted — treat every rate as a direction, not a price.

Ryan Gandra

Insufficient price data
Estimated EV
Fair decimal odds
1.69
Reference quote

Ozzy Diaz

Insufficient price data
Estimated EV
Fair decimal odds
2.44
Reference quote
Uncertainty & price details Analyst conviction: 6/10

What limits this estimate

  • Every Gandra figure on this page comes from two Octagon fights and 2:51 of fight records time; regression is the base case, not a risk.
  • Diaz is three inches taller with five inches more reach, and 100% of his early-round Octagon striking has landed at distance.
  • His output goes 14.5, 51, 64 across three rounds — and Gandra has never contested a second round in the UFC.

Ryan Gandra: Close the distance inside the first five minutes. Both of his UFC wins ended in round one, his single fight records bout lasted 2:51, and 11.71 significant strikes a minute arriving at a man who absorbs 6.52 is a stoppage waiting on a referee.

Ozzy Diaz: Fifteen minutes at 79 inches. His output goes 14.5, 51, 64 across three rounds and 100% of it lands at range — every minute he keeps this a kickboxing match is a minute the fight becomes his.

Ryan Gandra

Reference quote:

Edge vs no-vig market:

Insufficient price data

Ozzy Diaz

Reference quote:

Edge vs no-vig market:

Insufficient price data

Editorial assessment of the evidence, not a win probability or a calibrated confidence interval.

Read full analysis
PrelimsEstablished UFC sample (5+ bouts each)8 / 5 UFC boutsCounts follow fighter order. The smaller UFC sample determines the color: under 3 red, 3–4 yellow, 5+ green. Sample size is not a win probability or a measure of analysis quality.
Women's Flyweight
3 Rounds

Model estimate

54%VS46%

Tactical key

O'Neill throws 7.89 significant strikes a minute; Moura shoots 3.58 takedowns per fifteen with 139 seconds of first-round control. Keep it standing and the cards rout toward O'Neill. Bank two early mat rounds and Moura steals it. Model 54–46 O'Neill at −180 — closer than the favourite price.

Casey O'Neill

Freshness unverified
Estimated EV
-16.0%
Fair decimal odds
1.85
Reference quote-180 (BetOnline)

Eduarda Moura

Freshness unverified
Estimated EV
+16.4%
Fair decimal odds
2.17
Reference quote+153 (BetOnline)
Uncertainty & price details Analyst conviction: 4/10

What limits this estimate

  • Moura's 3.58 takedowns per fifteen minutes is first of 32, and 139 seconds of first-round control is exactly what 125-pound judging rewards.
  • O'Neill absorbs 5.53 per minute (27th of 32) and has been submitted in the second round before — by the same finish Moura owns five of.
  • Moura defends 80% of takedowns and absorbs 2.50 per minute; there is no cheap way to hurt her.

Casey O'Neill: Keep it upright for eight of the fifteen minutes. At 7.89 significant strikes a minute against 2.57, every standing exchange is a rout on the scorecards, and her 70% takedown defence only has to hold often enough to make the mat minutes fewer than the standing ones.

Eduarda Moura: Two takedowns a round, early. Her control is 139 and 134 seconds in the first two rounds and 31 in the third, so the wrestling has to bank the fight before it becomes a kickboxing match she cannot win.

Casey O'Neill

Reference quote: -180 (BetOnline)

Edge vs no-vig market: -7.9 pp

Freshness unverified

Eduarda Moura

Reference quote: +153 (BetOnline)

Edge vs no-vig market: +7.9 pp

Freshness unverified

Editorial assessment of the evidence, not a win probability or a calibrated confidence interval.

Read full analysis
PrelimsEstablished UFC sample (5+ bouts each)15 / 10 UFC boutsCounts follow fighter order. The smaller UFC sample determines the color: under 3 red, 3–4 yellow, 5+ green. Sample size is not a win probability or a measure of analysis quality.
Middleweight
3 Rounds

Model estimate

47%VS53%

Tactical key

Shahbazyan's 1.08 knockdowns in round one against Ferreira's rising second-round output and 1.04 Sub/15. Survive five minutes and the curves cross; miss that window and Edmen ends it. Model 53–47 Ferreira as a plus-money dog at +133.

Edmen Shahbazyan

Freshness unverified
Estimated EV
-22.9%
Fair decimal odds
2.13
Reference quote-156 (BetOnline)

Brunno Ferreira

Freshness unverified
Estimated EV
+23.5%
Fair decimal odds
1.89
Reference quote+133 (BetOnline)
Uncertainty & price details Analyst conviction: 4/10

What limits this estimate

  • Shahbazyan has the higher knockdown average (1.08 to 1.03), the longer reach by two inches, and is five years younger — the fight records reverses several of the editorial assessment's assumptions here.
  • Ferreira has been knocked out in 77 seconds by a long power striker, which is precisely the fighter across from him.
  • Every control column belongs to Shahbazyan: 1.43 takedowns per fifteen against 1.00, 36% accuracy against 22%, and 36% of his career strikes landing in the clinch or on the ground against Ferreira's 12%.

Edmen Shahbazyan: End it before the eighth minute. He lands 18.8 significant strikes in the first round with a 1.08 knockdown average, and four of his five UFC knockouts came inside round one. Everything after that is a fight he has historically lost.

Brunno Ferreira: Survive the opening five minutes and let the curves cross. His output rises into the second round while Shahbazyan's falls by 21%, and the neck is available every time a tired man shoots.

Edmen Shahbazyan

Reference quote: -156 (BetOnline)

Edge vs no-vig market: -11.7 pp

Freshness unverified

Brunno Ferreira

Reference quote: +133 (BetOnline)

Edge vs no-vig market: +11.7 pp

Freshness unverified

Editorial assessment of the evidence, not a win probability or a calibrated confidence interval.

Read full analysis
PrelimsDeveloping UFC sample (3–4 bouts)18 / 3 UFC boutsCounts follow fighter order. The smaller UFC sample determines the color: under 3 red, 3–4 yellow, 5+ green. Sample size is not a win probability or a measure of analysis quality.
Heavyweight
3 Rounds

Model estimate

43%VS57%

Tactical key

Despaigne's length and 60% accuracy against Tuivasa's 44% striking defence. Model 57–43 Despaigne. BetOnline has him −650 off three Octagon fights. Tuivasa +482 is the widest moneyline gap on the card — and a knockdown rate that has not fired in his last five UFC bouts.

Tai Tuivasa

Freshness unverified
Estimated EV
+150.3%
Fair decimal odds
2.33
Reference quote+482 (BetOnline)

Robelis Despaigne

Freshness unverified
Estimated EV
-34.2%
Fair decimal odds
1.75
Reference quote-650 (BetOnline)
Uncertainty & price details Analyst conviction: 4/10

What limits this estimate

  • Despaigne's whole profile is three Octagon fights and seven rounds, and he has not competed since October 19, 2024.
  • He landed four and two significant strikes in his two full opening rounds — Tuivasa averages 15.0 and 0.29 knockdowns in that same window.
  • A 1.04 knockdown average that ranks 8th of 36 is still eighth of 36, and five of Tuivasa's UFC wins ended in the first round.

Tai Tuivasa: The first five minutes, in the clinch. He lands 15.0 significant strikes and 0.29 knockdowns per opening round with 31.8% of that offence in close, against a man who landed four and two strikes in his two full first rounds.

Robelis Despaigne: Keep it at 84 inches and let the clock work. His accuracy climbs to 73% by the third round against a shell that stops 42% of what arrives, and Tuivasa has not scored a knockdown since September 2022.

Tai Tuivasa

Reference quote: +482 (BetOnline)

Edge vs no-vig market: +26.5 pp

Freshness unverified

Robelis Despaigne

Reference quote: -650 (BetOnline)

Edge vs no-vig market: -26.5 pp

Freshness unverified

Editorial assessment of the evidence, not a win probability or a calibrated confidence interval.

Read full analysis
PrelimsLimited UFC sample (<3 bouts)1 / 2 UFC boutsCounts follow fighter order. The smaller UFC sample determines the color: under 3 red, 3–4 yellow, 5+ green. Sample size is not a win probability or a measure of analysis quality.
Heavyweight
3 Rounds

Model estimate

68%VS32%

Tactical key

Olympic wrestling and four first-round TKOs against 15.00 SApM and 0% published takedown defence. Model 68–32 Steveson. No BetOnline line. The swing is one heavyweight counter before the shot lands.

Gable Steveson

Insufficient price data
Estimated EV
Fair decimal odds
1.47
Reference quote

Sean Sharaf

Insufficient price data
Estimated EV
Fair decimal odds
3.13
Reference quote
Uncertainty & price details Analyst conviction: 6/10

What limits this estimate

  • Steveson's UFCStats rates cover one bout; the per-round charts contain a single observed UFC round, ranks are omitted, and every composite on this page remains an editorial estimate.
  • His chin and cardio are barely mapped — his longest professional MMA fight is 3:50 and he has never contested a second round.
  • All four of Sharaf's career wins came by knockout, and he lands 44.5 significant strikes in an opening round with three inches of reach.

Gable Steveson: One level change. He has finished four of four inside round one and the Ellison blueprint — shot, top position, knees and punches — is already on UFC tape against a man who defends 42% of strikes and has twenty-three seconds of career control time.

Sean Sharaf: Five minutes of clean distance work and one clean counter. He lands 44.5 significant strikes in an opening round; if the first takedown fails and the shot he times is the right hand, the wrestling never happens.

Gable Steveson

Reference quote:

Edge vs no-vig market:

Insufficient price data

Sean Sharaf

Reference quote:

Edge vs no-vig market:

Insufficient price data

Editorial assessment of the evidence, not a win probability or a calibrated confidence interval.

Read full analysis
PrelimsEstablished UFC sample (5+ bouts each)12 / 10 UFC boutsCounts follow fighter order. The smaller UFC sample determines the color: under 3 red, 3–4 yellow, 5+ green. Sample size is not a win probability or a measure of analysis quality.
Featherweight
3 Rounds

Model estimate

46%VS54%

Tactical key

Brito averages 288 seconds of control per three rounds; Chikadze averages 19. Stuff the shot and 59% striking defence plus length writes the cards. Land one entry a round and the kickboxer never starts. Model 54–46 Brito; −400 is a steep price on a 43% striking defence.

Giga Chikadze

Freshness unverified
Estimated EV
+92.7%
Fair decimal odds
2.17
Reference quote+319 (BetOnline)

Joanderson Brito

Freshness unverified
Estimated EV
-32.5%
Fair decimal odds
1.85
Reference quote-400 (BetOnline)
Uncertainty & price details Analyst conviction: 4/10

What limits this estimate

  • Brito's 43% striking defence — all three of his UFC losses were fifteen-minute decisions he lost upright.
  • Chikadze is four inches taller with two inches of reach and 59% striking defence, plus six career knockdowns dealt.
  • The Georgian's knockdown rate doubles to 0.44 in the third round, exactly where Brito's ground share collapses to 6.0%.

Giga Chikadze: Stuff the first shot and start kicking. Against a man who defends 43% of what is thrown at him, fifteen minutes of distance striking is both the decision path and the knockout path.

Joanderson Brito: Land one entry a round. Ninety seconds of control per round for three rounds is 288 seconds of a 900-second fight, and it is the difference between a submission finish and a card he wins without landing ten strikes.

Giga Chikadze

Reference quote: +319 (BetOnline)

Edge vs no-vig market: +23.0 pp

Freshness unverified

Joanderson Brito

Reference quote: -400 (BetOnline)

Edge vs no-vig market: -23.0 pp

Freshness unverified

Editorial assessment of the evidence, not a win probability or a calibrated confidence interval.

Read full analysis
PrelimsLimited UFC sample (<3 bouts)4 / 2 UFC boutsCounts follow fighter order. The smaller UFC sample determines the color: under 3 red, 3–4 yellow, 5+ green. Sample size is not a win probability or a measure of analysis quality.
Featherweight
3 Rounds

Model estimate

47%VS53%

Tactical key

Yoo's 58% accuracy and 4.99 SApM against Aswell's rising volume and a chin that has never been stopped. Model 53–47 Yoo. No BetOnline line. Half a composite point separates them and the favourite's entire rate line is 5:49 long.

Michael Aswell Jr.

Insufficient price data
Estimated EV
Fair decimal odds
2.13
Reference quote

JooSang Yoo

Insufficient price data
Estimated EV
Fair decimal odds
1.89
Reference quote
Uncertainty & price details Analyst conviction: 3/10

What limits this estimate

  • His whole rate line derives from 5:49 of UFC cage time across two bouts; he has never fought a third round.
  • He has been finished — dropped and stopped at 0:21 of the second by Daniel Santos — while Aswell's five defeats are all decisions.
  • 50% takedown defence against a divisional 67.8%, and Aswell's only Octagon win came from putting a hurt man down and landing ten of sixteen ground strikes.

Michael Aswell Jr.: Make it long and make it ugly. His output rises every round and nobody in the UFC has come close to finishing him — if the fight is still standing at the ten-minute mark, the busiest man in the building is the one who has never been hurt.

JooSang Yoo: Keep it at the end of the two-inch reach advantage and keep hitting 58%. Every minute the fight stays at kicking range is a minute the cleaner striker banks, and the leg kicks make the third round Aswell's problem rather than his weapon.

Michael Aswell Jr.

Reference quote:

Edge vs no-vig market:

Insufficient price data

JooSang Yoo

Reference quote:

Edge vs no-vig market:

Insufficient price data

Editorial assessment of the evidence, not a win probability or a calibrated confidence interval.

Read full analysis

Cancelled

⛔ CANCELLED — Ortega cut in training
Lightweight
3 Rounds
CANCELLED
Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles uses the standard UFC event cage for this numbered PPV card.

Deep Dive

Event Preview & Betting Intelligence

The full story behind UFC 331 — the narrative, the card spotlights, where BetOnline misprices the Los Angeles card, and how the model reads a rematch that lasted 26 seconds.

🥊

The Story

Los Angeles: 26 Seconds Settled Nothing

📍 Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles🗓 Saturday, September 19, 2026📺 Paramount+

UFC 331 is a numbered Los Angeles card built around unfinished business. Champion Joshua Van (17-2, 24 years old) brings 8.43 significant strikes per minute and 81% takedown defence into a rematch with Alexandre “The Cannibal” Pantoja (30-6, 36) — 2.79 takedowns per fifteen minutes, six Octagon submissions, and a habit of winning ugly when rounds get deep. Van took the belt at UFC 323 by first-round TKO at 0:26, an arm-injury stoppage rather than a knockout sequence, so the rematch asks the only question that matters: changing of the guard, or medical outlier?

The model leans Van a thin 52–48, but BetOnline has moved to Van -132 and Pantoja +113 — the champion carries a few points of juice, not a free edge. The value sits further down the card. The five-round co-main puts Arman Tsarukyan (23-3) and 3.26 takedowns per fifteen against Mauricio Ruffy (14-2), who has never attempted one in the Octagon. Below it, Patricio Pitbull meets Doo Ho Choi after Moicano vs. Ortega was cancelled (Ortega cut in training), and the prelims carry the two widest model-versus-market gaps on the calendar.

“An arm gave out at 0:26 and a title changed hands. That is not an answer to anything — which is why the model has this at 52–48 and the largest single outcome in a hundred simulations belongs to the man who lost.”

Betting Desk

Fight scenarios & price analysis

Original analyst scenarios and price notes. These editorial snapshots are not live offers; check the dated quotes and value status on the fight card before interpreting them.

💡 BetOnline prioritized

Main Event — Joshua Van vs Alexandre Pantoja

Model fair (decimal)

Joshua Van

1.92

52% win

Model fair (decimal)

Alexandre Pantoja

2.08

48% win

Market (BetOnline)

−132

Market (BetOnline)

+113

The market has moved against the champion: 52–48 Van in the model, but BetOnline prices him at −132 (56.9% implied) against Pantoja's +113 (46.9%). Both sides carry juice, so the moneyline itself is not the play. What the price cannot show is the shape. Pantoja's single largest outcome is submission, at 25 of 100: six Octagon finishes and 1.00 attempts per fifteen minutes against a champion who averages 0.20 and has never been submitted. Van's largest is a decision at 28. Neither moneyline is a bet — the method markets are where this fight pays.
Full main-event analysis →

Projected outcome breakdown

Van by Decision28/100 · 28%
Pantoja by Submission25/100 · 25%
Van by KO/TKO20/100 · 20%
Pantoja by Decision17/100 · 17%
Pantoja by KO/TKO6/100 · 6%
Van by Submission4/100 · 4%

How the fight unfolds

Scenario map

R1 · 0–5 min

The 26-second ghost

Their first meeting ended at 0:26 on an arm injury, not a knockout sequence. It settled nothing, and both men know it — expect a far more careful opening than the result suggests.

Tactical lean: Unresolved
R2–R3 · 5–15 min

Output against entries

Van lands 8.43 significant strikes a minute and defends 81% of takedowns; Pantoja shoots 2.79 per fifteen at 48% accuracy. Every failed entry is a round banked for the champion.

Tactical lean: Joshua Van
R4–R5 · championship rounds

No longer Van's blind spot

Pantoja owns six measured championship rounds with 152 and 155 seconds of control. Van has now been there once — he stopped Tatsuro Taira at 1:32 of the fifth in May 2026, after absorbing more than ten minutes of ground control.

Tactical lean: Narrowing
Any round

The choke is the live path

A quarter of all simulations end with Pantoja submitting him. It is the single largest outcome for either man, and the reason the moneyline is not the market to play here.

Tactical lean: High variance

Original price notes

Model vs recorded prices

Capture dates are not recorded for these editorial comparisons. Differences below include the bookmaker margin and are expressed in percentage points, not expected return or confidence.

Recorded price comparison

Tai Tuivasa

+482

Model

43.0%

Implied

17.2%

Difference

+25.8 pp

The market has him near-dead at 17.2%. Despaigne is 1-2 in the Octagon with two decision losses — thin evidence for a price this heavy.

Recorded price comparison

Marlon Vera

+195

Model

55.0%

Implied

33.9%

Difference

+21.1 pp

Four straight defeats, not one of them a stoppage. Jourdain at −233 is a steep price on a man Vera can drag into deep water.

Recorded price comparison

Giga Chikadze

+319

Model

46.0%

Implied

23.9%

Difference

+22.1 pp

Brito's 43% striking defence is the softest surface on the card, and Chikadze still ends fights at range.

Recorded price comparison

Goes the Distance — Yes (Tsarukyan vs Ruffy)

+250

Model

46.0%

Implied

28.6%

Difference

+17.4 pp

Five rounds, 34% editorial share for Tsarukyan by points, and Ruffy's 87% takedown defence — the co-main's cleanest prop edge at BetOnline.

Recorded price comparison

Arman Tsarukyan by Points

+300

Model

34.0%

Implied

25.0%

Difference

+9.0 pp

Largest single editorial outcome bucket in the co-main; market still prices decision equity cheaply.

Recorded price comparison

Patricio Pitbull

+224

Model

52.0%

Implied

30.9%

Difference

+21.1 pp

The model reads this a coin flip; the book has Choi a clear favourite.

Recorded price comparison

Brunno Ferreira

+133

Model

53.0%

Implied

42.9%

Difference

+10.1 pp

A dog price on the side the model actually favours, with both finish paths intact.

Recorded price comparison

Alonzo Menifield

+177

Model

44.0%

Implied

36.1%

Difference

+7.9 pp

Coming off a first-round knockout in Macau, against an undefeated prospect the market backs on faith.

Recorded price comparison

Eduarda Moura

+153

Model

46.0%

Implied

39.5%

Difference

+6.5 pp

Divisional-best takedown volume against O'Neill's 70% takedown defence — closer than the line reads.

Original favorite assessments

Favorites at the recorded price

These notes compare the model with the price recorded in the original analysis. They do not establish value at today's price.

Robelis Despaigne

−650
Model win: 57%

Three Octagon bouts and two decision losses do not support 86.7%.

Arman Tsarukyan

−288
Model win: 64%

Editorial 64% vs 74.2% implied — favourite is priced above the handicapping line.

Charles Jourdain

−233
Model win: 45%

The model favours Vera outright; the market has this one backwards.

Joanderson Brito

−400
Model win: 54%

Right side, wrong price — 80.0% implied against a 54% read.

Doo Ho Choi

−270
Model win: 48%

Priced as the favourite in a fight the model scores the other way.

Edmen Shahbazyan

−156
Model win: 47%

Coming off a decision loss to Brendan Allen; the line has not caught up.

🥊

What is UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja 2?

UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja 2 is a numbered UFC event on Saturday, September 19, 2026 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The main event is a UFC Flyweight Championship rematch between champion Joshua Van (17-2, age 24) and former champion Alexandre "The Cannibal" Pantoja (30-6, age 36). Van won the first meeting at UFC 323 by first-round TKO at 0:26 — an arm-injury stoppage, not a prolonged beatdown — so the rematch asks whether 8.86 significant strikes per minute and 81% takedown defense actually solved Pantoja's 2.79 takedowns per 15 minutes and 1.0 submissions per 15 over championship distance. The five-round co-main is Arman Tsarukyan (23-3) vs. Mauricio Ruffy (14-2) at lightweight. MMA Analytics leans Van a thin 52–48 and Tsarukyan 64–36 (editorial). The card streams on Paramount+ at 5:00 PM ET (2:00 PM PT local).

🕒

When is UFC 331 and what time does it start?

UFC 331 streams live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California on Saturday, September 19, 2026, with the main card beginning at 5:00 PM ET on Paramount+. Because this is a numbered event from the West Coast, the in-arena main event is a mid-afternoon local start: 2:00 PM PT. Viewers in the United Kingdom and Ireland should expect a 10:00 PM BST window, Central Europe tunes in at 11:00 PM CET, and Abu Dhabi runs at 1:00 AM on Sunday. Prelims begin roughly two hours before the main card, around 3:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM PT, also on Paramount+. All listed times are estimates and remain subject to UFC broadcast changes.

📋

Who is fighting at UFC 331?

The flyweight title main event features Joshua Van (17-2) vs. Alexandre Pantoja (30-6) in a championship rematch, with Arman Tsarukyan (23-3) vs. Mauricio Ruffy (14-2) in the five-round lightweight co-main. The main card also features Patricio Pitbull (37-9) vs. Doo Ho Choi (17-4-1) at featherweight, and unbeaten Iwo Baraniewski (9-0) vs. Alonzo Menifield (18-6-1) at light heavyweight. Renato Moicano vs. Brian Ortega was cancelled (Ortega cut in training). Prelims include Charles Jourdain vs. Marlon Vera, Ryan Gandra vs. Ozzy Diaz, Casey O'Neill vs. Eduarda Moura, Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Brunno Ferreira, Tai Tuivasa vs. Robelis Despaigne, Olympic wrestler Gable Steveson (4-0) vs. Sean Sharaf (4-2), Giga Chikadze vs. Joanderson Brito, and Michael Aswell Jr. vs. JooSang Yoo.

🤖

Who does the MMA Analytics model favor in Van vs. Pantoja 2?

MMA Analytics currently favors Joshua Van at approximately 52% win probability versus Alexandre Pantoja at 48% in the UFC 331 flyweight title rematch at Crypto.com Arena — a genuine coin-flip leaning on youth and volume. Van's case is output and posture: 8.86 significant strikes per minute behind 81% takedown defense. Pantoja's case is the tax: 2.79 takedowns per 15 minutes and 1.0 submissions per 15, with a résumé of winning ugly when rounds get deep — and because the first meeting ended in 26 seconds on an arm injury, nothing about the grappling question was actually answered over championship distance. On the same Los Angeles card, Arman Tsarukyan faces Mauricio Ruffy over five rounds, with an editorial estimate of 64% Tsarukyan and 36% Ruffy. Full fight pages compare these model and editorial estimates to BetOnline odds across UFC 331.

Are the UFC 331 main event and co-main confirmed?

Yes — the UFC 331 main event and co-main are official. Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja headlines in a rematch for the UFC Flyweight Championship, and Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy serves as the five-round lightweight co-main event at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Moicano vs. Ortega was cancelled (Ortega cut in training). Twelve fights remain and stream on Paramount+; the bout order above reflects the official billing.

📊Analysis Reliability Framework

UFC experience describes the size of the available sample, not the chance of winning. A short UFC record leaves more uncertainty about how a fighter performs against different styles. Opponent quality, recent changes and missing statistics also matter; five bouts alone do not establish that a prediction is well calibrated.

🔴

Limited UFC sample

<3 UFC Bouts

Limited UFC data available. Analysis relies more heavily on external sources and pre-UFC performance patterns.

🟡

Developing UFC sample

3-4 UFC Bouts

Some UFC evidence is available, but a few matchups can strongly influence the averages. Check opponent quality and the limitations in each analysis.

🟢

Established UFC sample

5+ UFC Bouts

More UFC observations are available. This does not guarantee predictive accuracy; changes in opposition, injuries and style can still limit the estimate.

Note: All fights receive thorough analysis regardless of UFC experience levels. Analyst conviction is an editorial assessment, not a measured probability or statistical confidence interval.

Model vs market

Yellow marks our forecast favorite. The comparison shows our win estimate against the probability implied by each quote. Gap is in percentage points (pp), includes bookmaker margin, and is not expected return.

Fighter AWin estimate AMarket / implied AFighter BWin estimate BMarket / implied BModel / market & our read
Joshua VanModel favorite52%-132 (BetOnline)56.9% impliedAlexandre Pantoja48%+113 (BetOnline)46.9% implied
Win probabilityModelMarketGapJoshua Van52%56.9%-4.9 ppAlexandre Pantoja48%46.9%+1.1 pp

Our read: We narrowly lean Joshua Van. Alexandre Pantoja offers the positive price gap, despite not being our outright pick.

Quote dates unverified · recheck prices

Arman TsarukyanAnalyst favorite64%-288 (BetOnline)74.2% impliedMauricio Ruffy36%+238 (BetOnline)29.6% implied
Win probabilityAnalystMarketGapArman Tsarukyan64%74.2%-10.2 ppMauricio Ruffy36%29.6%+6.4 pp

Our read: We favor Arman Tsarukyan. Mauricio Ruffy offers the positive price gap, despite not being our outright pick.

Quote dates unverified · recheck prices

Analyst estimate · not a calibrated model

Patricio PitbullModel favorite52%+224 (BetOnline)30.9% impliedDoo Ho Choi48%-270 (BetOnline)73.0% implied
Win probabilityModelMarketGapPatricio Pitbull52%30.9%+21.1 ppDoo Ho Choi48%73.0%-25.0 pp

Our read: We narrowly lean Patricio Pitbull. The quoted price also offers a positive gap against our estimate.

Quote dates unverified · recheck prices

Iwo BaraniewskiModel favorite56%-210 (BetOnline)67.7% impliedAlonzo Menifield44%+177 (BetOnline)36.1% implied
Win probabilityModelMarketGapIwo Baraniewski56%67.7%-11.7 ppAlonzo Menifield44%36.1%+7.9 pp

Our read: We favor Iwo Baraniewski. Alonzo Menifield offers the positive price gap, despite not being our outright pick.

Quote dates unverified · recheck prices

Charles Jourdain45%-233 (BetOnline)70.0% impliedMarlon VeraModel favorite55%+195 (BetOnline)33.9% implied
Win probabilityModelMarketGapCharles Jourdain45%70.0%-25.0 ppMarlon Vera55%33.9%+21.1 pp

Our read: We narrowly lean Marlon Vera. The quoted price also offers a positive gap against our estimate.

Quote dates unverified · recheck prices

Ryan GandraModel favorite59%N/AOzzy Diaz41%N/A
Win probabilityModelMarketGapRyan Gandra59%Ozzy Diaz41%

Our read: We favor Ryan Gandra. A market price is needed to assess value.

Casey O'NeillModel favorite54%-180 (BetOnline)64.3% impliedEduarda Moura46%+153 (BetOnline)39.5% implied
Win probabilityModelMarketGapCasey O'Neill54%64.3%-10.3 ppEduarda Moura46%39.5%+6.5 pp

Our read: We narrowly lean Casey O'Neill. Eduarda Moura offers the positive price gap, despite not being our outright pick.

Quote dates unverified · recheck prices

Edmen Shahbazyan47%-156 (BetOnline)60.9% impliedBrunno FerreiraModel favorite53%+133 (BetOnline)42.9% implied
Win probabilityModelMarketGapEdmen Shahbazyan47%60.9%-13.9 ppBrunno Ferreira53%42.9%+10.1 pp

Our read: We narrowly lean Brunno Ferreira. The quoted price also offers a positive gap against our estimate.

Quote dates unverified · recheck prices

Tai Tuivasa43%+482 (BetOnline)17.2% impliedRobelis DespaigneModel favorite57%-650 (BetOnline)86.7% implied
Win probabilityModelMarketGapTai Tuivasa43%17.2%+25.8 ppRobelis Despaigne57%86.7%-29.7 pp

Our read: We favor Robelis Despaigne. Tai Tuivasa offers the positive price gap, despite not being our outright pick.

Quote dates unverified · recheck prices

Gable StevesonModel favorite68%N/ASean Sharaf32%N/A
Win probabilityModelMarketGapGable Steveson68%Sean Sharaf32%

Our read: We favor Gable Steveson. A market price is needed to assess value.

Giga Chikadze46%+319 (BetOnline)23.9% impliedJoanderson BritoModel favorite54%-400 (BetOnline)80.0% implied
Win probabilityModelMarketGapGiga Chikadze46%23.9%+22.1 ppJoanderson Brito54%80.0%-26.0 pp

Our read: We narrowly lean Joanderson Brito. Giga Chikadze offers the positive price gap, despite not being our outright pick.

Quote dates unverified · recheck prices

Michael Aswell Jr.47%N/AJooSang YooModel favorite53%N/A
Win probabilityModelMarketGapMichael Aswell Jr.47%JooSang Yoo53%

Our read: We narrowly lean JooSang Yoo. A market price is needed to assess value.

Event Discussion

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