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The UFC officially announced on Wednesday the addition of five fights to the UFC 331 card, scheduled for September 19 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The highly anticipated return of Arman Tsarukyan, the second outing in a month for Olympic champion Gable Steveson, and a clash for the flyweight belt between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja form the backbone of an evening that promises to be the busiest of the fall.
Van-Pantoja II, a high-stakes rematch
The first meeting between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja, in the co-main event of UFC 323, ended in controversy.
The first meeting between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja, in the co-main event of UFC 323, ended in controversy. Pantoja, then the reigning champion, dislocated his elbow in the first round, handing the belt to Van via doctor's stoppage. Eight months later, the Brazilian wants to reclaim what is his. Van defends a title won under circumstances no one had imagined for the first time.
The rematch promises to be electric. Pantoja has never gotten over that night in Las Vegas and has multiplied incendiary statements in recent months. Van, for his part, remains unfazed and points out that he was winning the fight before the injury. It's hard to imagine a scenario where the two men part ways with a tame decision.
Tsarukyan returns to the Octagon against a fearless Ruffy
Arman Tsarukyan hasn't fought since his last-minute withdrawal from UFC 311, where a back injury deprived him of a clash against Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title. The Armenian (23-3) returns to the cage against Brazilian Mauricio Ruffy (14-2), in a five-round bout that will serve as the co-main event.
Ruffy comes off a submission loss to Benoît Saint-Denis at UFC Paris, but his punching power and creative stand-up make him a much tougher test than his ranking suggests. Tsarukyan is the favorite—books have him well ahead—and a convincing win would put him right back in the title conversation. A poor performance, on the other hand, would send him back to square one after ten months of inactivity.
Steveson, the lightning return of the phenomenon
A month after a spectacular debut at UFC 329—a first-round KO of Elisha Ellison on Conor McGregor's card—Gable Steveson is lacing up the gloves again. The Olympic wrestling gold medalist, two-time NCAA champion, and former WWE star will face Sean Sharaf (4-2) in the heavyweight division.
The opposition is hardly a summit: Sharaf has a record of two losses in as many UFC outings. But the promotion is following a classic development logic. Steveson, at 26, is building up in stages, and his second fight in the organization will tell whether the hype holds up to repetition. The Minneapolis native checks all the boxes of the media-ready prospect built to carry a card: an extraordinary amateur resume, raw charisma, and a finishing ability that stunned in his debut.
Los Angeles gets a numbered event again
The UFC hadn't set foot in the Crypto.com Arena for a numbered card since 2018. This return comes with a polished lineup that mixes title stakes, anticipated returns, and the building of new headliners. The promotion hasn't yet unveiled the full preliminary card, but the five fights announced this week are enough to position UFC 331 as a must-see event. In a year where the lightweight and heavyweight calendars are slow to clarify, the California evening could shape several trajectories for 2027.