Joshua Van proved the first Pantoja fight was not a fluke
Van opened as an underdog in his own title defence, then went five hard rounds and settled what a 26-second first fight could not.
By ExclusiveTuna · UFC 331: Van vs Pantoja 2 · Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles
Joshua Van beat Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision at UFC 331 on September 19, 2026, retaining the UFC flyweight title after five rounds ending at 5:00 of round five. The scores were 49-46, 48-47 and 50-45. Both men took Fight of the Night, worth $100,000 each.
The short version
- Joshua Van beat Alexandre Pantoja by Decision (unanimous), round 5, 5:00
- Main card, Flyweight, 5 rounds, for the title
- Closing line: Joshua Van −142, Alexandre Pantoja +120
- Joshua Van traded at 59¢ before the fight and settled at 100¢
- Scorecards: 49-46, 48-47, 50-45
What happened
Van and Pantoja went the full twenty-five minutes, and the judges scored it 49-46, 48-47 and 50-45 for the champion. Sports Illustrated described "a war of attrition, a test of wills regarding who could dig deeper", with both men close to finished in rounds one and two. It took Fight of the Night, $100,000 each. Sherdog and SI record 49-47 on the middle card; the UFC and CBS have 48-47.
Van is 24, born in Hakha in Chin State, Myanmar. His family fled to Malaysia when he was 10 and reached Houston in 2013. He is the first Burmese fighter in the UFC, the second-youngest champion in the promotion's history behind Jon Jones, and the first UFC champion born in the 2000s. He is 18-2 now, with eight straight wins.
The first fight, at UFC 323 in December 2025, lasted 26 seconds and ended when Pantoja's arm broke. That result carried an asterisk. This one does not. UFC.com's read is that Van established himself as "the legitimate champion rather than a one-time beneficiary". Pantoja is 36, now 0-2 against Van and on a two-fight skid after defences against Erceg, Asakura and Kara-France.
What the market did
The lowest trade printed at 40¢ and the best offer was 41¢, so this one is close to honest for a buyer.
Van went into the fight at 59c (-142) after opening at +160, a full flip in a title rematch. With the fight live the cheapest a buyer could have paid was 41c at 2026-09-20 03:29Z. He settled at 100 on the unanimous decision. Pantoja closed at +120, having opened on the right side of a line the market spent the build reversing.
The pre-fight move is the story here. A champion who opened +160 closed between -142 and -164, which means the market re-read the first meeting between the open and the walk. A 40c trade printed, a cent under the best offer, so the low is close to honest for a buyer. Pantoja led at the worst of it, never by much. Five-round fights give a price room to travel before it settles.
What each stake returned
| Stake | Contracts at 59¢ | Returned | Contracts at 41¢ | Returned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100.00 | 169 | $169.00 | 243 | $243.00 |
| $200.00 | 338 | $338.00 | 487 | $487.00 |
| $5,000.00 | 8,474 | $8,474.00 | 12,195 | $12,195.00 |
The right half is the best offer that existed while the fight was live. Getting filled there still depends on size being available, which a candlestick cannot tell you. Volume on that minute was 146,640 contracts. Returns are gross of the Kalshi trading fee and are hindsight: they show what a price paid once the result was known, not what anyone should stake next.
The bout, on the record
| Method | Unanimous decision |
|---|---|
| Round and time | Round 5, 5:00 |
| Weight class | UFC flyweight title, 5 rounds |
| Scorecards | 49-46, 48-47, 50-45 |
| Closing moneylines | Van -142, Pantoja +120 |
| Kalshi pre-fight | 59c |
| Cheapest you could buy | 41c at 2026-09-20 03:29Z |
| Lowest trade printed | 40c, one cent under the best offer |
| Bonuses | Fight of the Night, $100k each |
Quick answers
Who won Van vs Pantoja 2 at UFC 331?
Joshua Van, by unanimous decision after five rounds. The scores were 49-46, 48-47 and 50-45. He retained the UFC flyweight title, and both fighters took Fight of the Night, worth $100,000 each.
What happened in the first Van vs Pantoja fight?
It ended after 26 seconds at UFC 323 in December 2025, when Pantoja's arm broke. That result carried an asterisk. The rematch went the full twenty-five minutes and removed the question.
Was Joshua Van favoured against Alexandre Pantoja?
By the close, yes. He opened at +160 as the underdog and closed between -142 and -164, a full flip. His contract went into the fight at 59c, and while the bout was live the cheapest a buyer could have paid was 41c.
All 12 bouts and the full UFC 331 results board
Sources and method
Results and scorecards from the official UFC event pages, cross-checked against Sherdog and theScore. Closing moneylines from BestFightOdds and DraftKings, captured after the event. Contract prices are Kalshi one-minute candlesticks on the KXUFCFIGHT series, market KXUFCFIGHT-26SEP19VANPAN-VAN. Where sources disagree on a finish time or a method, both readings are carried on this page rather than resolved silently. We aren't affiliated with the UFC or Kalshi.