Alexandre Pantoja tried everything in his arsenal to dethrone Joshua Van earlier tonight at UFC 331 and take back the UFC flyweight strap. But Van was no easy game, and that’s proven.
Fight recap
In Round 1, Alexandre Pantoja scored a takedown and waited for Van to make a mistake on the ground. However, “The Fearless” managed to reverse position but could not capitalize. After that, both fighters brawled nonstop until Pantoja scored another takedown just before the first round finished.
Round 2 was another close affair, but Van proved to be the more accurate fighter, and his boxing was on another level tonight. The 24-year-old landed jabs, calf kicks, and body shots to disrupt Pantoja’s rhythm. Toward the end of the round, the Brazilian finally scored another takedown and took Van’s back but did not have enough time to sink in a rear-naked choke.
In Round 3, Pantoja desperately tried to take the fight to the ground, but Van showed incredible takedown defense. Although the former champ managed to take him down once, Van quickly got back to his feet and continued landing clean combinations.
In Round 4, Pantoja took Van down and racked up significant ground-control time but couldn’t secure a submission as “The Fearless” went into full defensive mode to survive.
In the final round, Alexandre Pantoja began mixing in more leg attacks. The 36-year-old constantly circled the octagon and refused to give Van a clear angle.
However, Joshua Van eventually managed to drop Pantoja and then attempted to secure a submission. When the champ failed to finish the fight on the ground, both fighters returned to their feet and battled it out until the final bell.
Official decison: Joshua Van defeated Alexandre Pantoja via unanimous decison (49-46, 49-47, 50-45) at UFC 331.
