Among the many reasons why Saturday's flyweight title rematch between former champion Alexandre Pantoja and new beltholder Joshua Van has become such a must-see attraction as the headliner of UFC 331 in Los Angeles is the surprising amount of bad blood that has developed between them. Last December, Pantoja (30-6) entered as nearly a 3-to-1 betting favorite against Van (17-2) at UFC 323 in a fight that ended abruptly after just 26 seconds when the Brazilian legend was thrown to the ground following a blocked high kick and dislocated his left elbow. Van, a 24-year-old rising star from Myanmar, was respectful and remained humble following his first-round TKO win.
But his demeanor has changed dramatically in the 10 months since that fight as Van, who defended the title in a thrilling fifth-round TKO of Tatsuro Taira in May, is clearly feeling himself now as champion as he enters as a slight betting favorite for this 125-pound title rematch inside Crypto.com Arena. red event and UFC Fight Night is included with your subscription! Plans start as low as $8.99/month or $89.99/year! When the fight was officially announced during an August press conference in Philadelphia, Van climbed the stairs up to the dais wearing dark sunglasses indoors, which has become a key part of his new aura as champion sporting a newfound level of confidence that blurs the line between cockiness.
"What's done is done and I'm going to whoop his ass Sept. 19," Van said to kickoff the press conference. "Had that [injury] not happened, I would've still whooped his ass that day. [Saturday] is just another opportunity for me to whoop his ass again. He mad that I got his belt.
It looks good on me." The 36-year-old Pantoja, whose name has become synonymous with the humility and hard work that define his reputation following a late career renaissance that saw him become flyweight champion in 2023 and make four title defenses to climb the sport's pound-for-pound list, remained calm at first in the face of Van's new level of brashness as he administered a warning. "First, I think he need to wash his mouth," Pantoja said. "I respect where I'm from and in Brazil, you need to care about what you talk.
If you not, maybe you lose your teeth. I lose my belt, he's the champion of the world. But like a man, he did not beat me." But when Van began to bait Pantoja shortly after by constantly interrupting his answers by talking over the former champion with insults, the demeanor of "The Cannibal" took a hard left turn.
"Hey kid, when someone talks, you shut the f---ing mouth," Pantoja said. "You understand that?" "What are you going to do about it?" Van replied. Surprisingly, Pantoja leapt from his seat to approach Van and needed to be held back by UFC CEO and president Dana White as the temperature surrounding this rematch continued to heat up.
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