UFC 331 Preview: Van vs Pantoja 2 Betting Breakdown
The UFC 331 has a busy weekend ahead! Van vs Pantoja 2 betting breakdown covers Saturday's flyweight title rematch at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, plus a co-main event with genuine title implications of its own. Champion Joshua Van defends his belt against the man he took it from, in a rematch nobody quite saw the full measure of the first time around, on a card that also features Arman Tsarukyan looking to finally force his way into lightweight title contention.
UFC 331 Fight Card and Event Details
- Event: UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja 2
- Date: Saturday, 19 September 2026
- Venue: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles
- Start times: Prelims 6:00pm ET, main card 9:00pm ET
- Main event: Joshua Van (c) vs Alexandre Pantoja — Flyweight Title
- Co-main: Arman Tsarukyan vs Mauricio Ruffy — five-round Lightweight bout
- Also on the main card: Patricio Pitbull vs Doo Ho Choi, Gable Steveson vs Sean Sharaf, Charles Jourdain vs Marlon Vera
Below you'll find the full picture, tips across the two biggest fights, and where to check live UFC odds before you commit to anything.
Why the Van vs Pantoja Rematch Matters
The first meeting between these two at UFC 323 lasted just 26 seconds before Pantoja suffered an arm injury and the fight was stopped, handing Van the title in circumstances that settled nothing about who the better fighter actually is.
Van has since backed up the win with a hard-fought fifth-round TKO of Tatsuro Taira, proving he can go the distance in a genuine championship fight rather than relying on a fluke finish. Pantoja returns hungry to reclaim the belt he never really lost on merit, and this rematch is effectively the two men's first real fight, not a sequel to a genuine data point.
UFC 331 Betting Breakdown
None of the reads below are certainties in a sport where one clean shot changes everything, but here's how the market and the matchups line up.
Main Event: Joshua Van vs Alexandre Pantoja
Books have Van as a modest favourite, generally in the -125 to -133 range, with Pantoja sitting around +100 to +114. That's about as close as a title fight gets on the board, and it reflects genuine uncertainty rather than a soft line on the champion.
With so little to separate the two, this is a spot where the moneyline deserves real attention rather than an automatic favourite bet, if you can still find Van at -120 or shorter, he's the more appealing side; anything longer and Pantoja's price starts to look like fair value for a former champion with something to prove. You can track how this line moves through fight week on the in-play hub.
Co-Main: Arman Tsarukyan vs Mauricio Ruffy
Tsarukyan is a sizeable favourite, with lines generally sitting between -325 and -380, while Ruffy sits around +240 to +284 depending on the book. Tsarukyan's wrestling and pressure are the clear path to victory here, but the size of the price is worth weighing carefully, Ruffy has finished Rafael Fiziev and battered Michael Chandler this year, and MMA can turn on a single scramble or a clean counter.
If you like Tsarukyan, shopping for the best number matters more than usual given how steep the favourite's price already is; if you're drawn to Ruffy, treat it as a live underdog rather than a pure longshot bet.
Elsewhere on the Card
Gable Steveson's heavyweight bout with Sean Sharaf has opened as one of the most lopsided lines on the card, which makes it a spot better suited to a method-of-victory or round-total prop than a straight moneyline bet at a heavily reduced price.
Patricio Pitbull vs Doo Ho Choi is a more competitive pairing of experienced strikers where recent form matters more than reputation, Pitbull is just 1-2 in the UFC to date, which the market has priced in. Sportsbet.io's sports betting hub breaks down moneyline, method-of-victory, and round-total markets if any of this is new to you.
How to Approach a Card Like This One
Fight cards move differently to team sports, one training-camp injury or a late replacement can shift a line dramatically, as it already has once on this card.
Compare the same fight across books rather than settling for the first number you see, treat reputation and name recognition as separate things from current form, and remember that a heavy favourite in MMA is never as safe as the same price in most other sports, since a single moment can end a fight outright.
Check sportsbet.io's upcoming fixtures page for the latest card and market openings closer to walkouts.
Betting Responsibly on Fight Night
A stacked card like this one, with a close title fight and a co-main carrying its own stakes, can tempt bigger bets than a single fight normally would. Treat every read above as one opinion among many, not a guaranteed result, and set your budget for the night before the prelims start rather than adjusting it fight by fight as the card builds toward the main event.
Account tools such as deposit limits, loss limits, and time-outs help keep fight night within the budget you set for it, sportsbet.io's responsible gambling page lists how to set these up. Betting should stay entertainment through a big card, not a way to chase back a loss from an earlier fight on the same night.
If gambling has stopped feeling like entertainment, confidential support is available from:
Age and identity checks apply, and betting is restricted to those who meet the legal gambling age and requirements in their jurisdiction.
FAQs: UFC 331 Preview
Is Joshua Van the favourite against Alexandre Pantoja?
Yes, but only a modest one. Books generally have Van around -125 to -133, with Pantoja close behind at +100 to +114, making this one of the closer title fights on the board this year.
Did the first Van vs Pantoja fight go the distance?
No. Their UFC 323 meeting was stopped after just 26 seconds due to an arm injury Pantoja suffered, which is why this rematch is being treated as the pair's real first fight.
Is Arman Tsarukyan a heavy favourite over Mauricio Ruffy?
Yes. Lines generally sit between -325 and -380 for Tsarukyan, with Ruffy priced as a live underdog in the +240 to +284 range depending on the book.
Were any fights removed from the UFC 331 card?
Yes. The scheduled Renato Moicano vs Brian Ortega bout was pulled due to injury, with Gable Steveson vs Sean Sharaf moving up to fill the main card slot.
