UFC 331 lands in Los Angeles on Saturday night with a flyweight title fight that still doesn’t feel settled, a lightweight contender trying to reclaim a stolen title shot, and a card stacked with knockout threats from top to bottom.
Joshua Van walks in as champion. Alexandre Pantoja walks in still feeling like one.
Their first meeting lasted just 26 seconds, ending not with a highlight, but with a grimace. Pantoja dislocated his elbow, Van left with the belt, and nobody got the closure a title fight is supposed to bring. Now the 24-year-old champion is desperate to prove that gold came from more than a freak injury, while the 36-year-old Brazilian is fighting for legacy, respect, and the right to say that night was a fluke, not a changing of the guard.
Oddsmakers lean slightly toward youth. Van sits as a -135 favorite, Pantoja a +114 underdog. The CBS Sports panel splits on who walks out with the belt: Brian Campbell and Brandon Wise back Pantoja by submission, while Brent Brookhouse, Shakiel Mahjouri and Michael Mormile see Van’s power and pace carrying the day.
The stakes are obvious. Van’s first defense, a grueling five-round war with Tatsuro Taira in May, showed he can adjust mid-fight, dig deep, and survive bad spots. Pantoja, though, still owns the edge in overall craft and experience. He bloomed late as a champion, sharpening his game after finally claiming the flyweight crown, and he comes into this rematch with a point to prove and a chip the size of his résumé on his shoulder.
If Van’s offense catches fire early, Pantoja’s age and recent injury could make this a short night. If Pantoja weathers that initial storm, his grappling and composure could drag the champion into deep, suffocating waters. The panel’s predictions reflect that tension: explosive Van finishes on one side, tight, grinding Pantoja submissions on the other.
Tsarukyan’s second run at gold goes through Ruffy
The co-main event carries its own quiet drama.
Arman Tsarukyan was already staring down a title shot. He was booked to challenge Islam Makhachev in Los Angeles in January 2025, only for an injury during the weight cut to rip the opportunity away. More than 20 months later, he’s back in the same city, this time needing to beat Mauricio Ruffy to earn his way back to the doorstep.
Tsarukyan is a heavy -305 favorite over the +245 underdog Ruffy, and the CBS Sports crew is unanimous: all five pick Tsarukyan, most by late stoppage.
Ruffy brings danger. He’s a rising contender, a violent striker who has already delivered two thrilling wins this year. But his grappling has been exposed at the highest level, most notably in a disastrous 2025 loss to Benoit Saint Denis, who rag-dolled him on the mat. Tsarukyan, one of the division’s premier wrestlers, has the tools to follow that blueprint—just with a different tempo.
Campbell expects Tsarukyan’s top pressure to sap Ruffy’s gas tank over five rounds and open the door to a finish. Brookhouse and Mahjouri see a similar story: Ruffy’s kicks become entry points, Tsarukyan chains takedowns, grinds him down, then closes the show in the second half of the fight.
Tsarukyan’s résumé backs up that confidence. He has taken down everyone he’s faced in the UFC—Makhachev included—unless he finished them before he had to. He’s never been knocked out, owns a sturdy chin, and has developed into a reliable, if unspectacular, striker. Ruffy may have improved through work with Alexander Volkanovski, but one year removed from being mauled on the ground, he now meets a man many see as a level above Saint Denis in the wrestling department.
For Tsarukyan, anything less than a convincing win risks stalling the momentum he spent years rebuilding. For Ruffy, an upset would blow open the lightweight title picture overnight.
Choi–Pitbull: chaos guaranteed
Some fights arrive with a promise. Dooho Choi vs. Patricio Pitbull is one of them.
On paper, Choi is the favorite at -285, with Pitbull sitting at +215. On instinct, you expect violence. The CBS Sports panel does too: all five analysts pick Choi, most envisioning a late TKO or clear decision after a firefight.
Choi, once thought to be a fading prospect after three straight losses, has quietly rebuilt himself. He’s unbeaten in his last four, with three consecutive TKO wins, and has rediscovered the relentless pressure and power that made “The Korean Superboy” must-watch television in the first place.
Pitbull, meanwhile, steps into the Octagon with a legacy few can match. A two-division Bellator champion, he’s widely regarded as one of that promotion’s greatest fighters. But he’s 39 now, worn by years of high-level wars, and the damage has started to show. Aaron Pico’s brutal performance against him underlined the toll.
That doesn’t mean Pitbull walks in empty-handed. His grappling remains a real threat, arguably his clearest advantage. The problem? To use it, he has to survive Choi’s storm. Mahjouri expects Pitbull to have his moments, maybe even steal a round or two, before Choi’s pressure and power eventually crack him.
The matchup feels like a crossroads. Choi is pushing toward a serious run at featherweight relevance again. Pitbull is fighting to prove there’s still one more big night left in a career already full of them.
Steveson steps up, Iwo–Menifield promises a bang
Further down the main card, the odds tell a blunt story.
Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson is a staggering -2100 favorite against Sean Sharaf (+1100) in a heavyweight bout that should offer another look at how quickly Steveson’s wrestling can translate to MMA dominance. The CBS Sports team doesn’t see much suspense here: every single analyst picks Steveson inside the distance, split between early knockouts and quick submissions.
The main card opener, by contrast, looks like pure chaos. Iwo Baraniewski is a -250 favorite over Alonzo Menifield (+205) in a light heavyweight clash that almost nobody expects to hear the final horn. All five CBS pickers are aligned again: Iwo by first-round knockout or TKO. Menifield hits hard and comes to swing, but the consensus is that Baraniewski’s firepower and timing will get there first.
Odds, undercard and the wider picture
The rest of the card is loaded with names who can change a fight in one moment.
Heavyweight slugger Robelis Despaigne (-575) meets fan favorite Tai Tuivasa (+425) in a matchup built for a walk-off finish. Charles Jourdain (-205) faces Marlon Vera (+170) at bantamweight in a clash of grit and creativity. Middleweight prospects Ryan Gandra (-550) vs. Ozzy Diaz (+410) and Edmen Shahbazyan (-180) vs. Brunno Ferreira (+150) carry implications for the next wave at 185 pounds.
Casey O’Neill (-230) takes on Eduarda Moura (+190) in a women’s flyweight bout that could shape the division’s future contenders, while Joanderson Brito (-410) meets Giga Chikadze (+320) in a featherweight fight that quietly threatens to steal the show.
Then there’s the human element at the top.
Pantoja, one of the most decorated flyweights in UFC history, trying to snatch back a belt he never truly lost in combat. Van, the young champion, trying to prove that the coronation everyone questioned was simply the beginning of a new era. Tsarukyan, circling back to the title path that slipped through his fingers. Ruffy, Choi, Pitbull, Steveson—each chasing their own version of validation.
By Sunday morning, Los Angeles will have its answers. The only real question is whose story gets rewritten, and whose finally gets the ending they’ve been chasing.
