Alexandre Pantoja falls in Van rematch

Alexandre Pantoja came into his UFC 331 rematch with Joshua Van seeking to change the story left by their first meeting. Ten months earlier, Van had won by TKO in 26 seconds after Pantoja dislocated his elbow in an awkward fall to the canvas. Pantoja then spent the year recovering and preparing for another chance to set things right. On Saturday in Los Angeles, however, the second fight produced another defeat for Pantoja, this time after five rounds and a complete set of judges’ scorecards.

Pantoja fought with urgency at Crypto.com Arena, repeatedly moving forward with punches and looking to bring Van to the mat. The Brazilian’s approach made the contest a much fuller measure of both fighters than the abbreviated first bout. But Van managed the pressure, defended most of Pantoja’s takedown entries and built a decisive advantage in striking. The scorecards of 50-45, 49-46 and 49-47 gave Van the unanimous decision and his second title defense of the year. For Pantoja, the result closed a long recovery-and-rematch chapter without the reversal he had pursued.

Pantoja’s pressure met disciplined defense

Alexandre Pantoja did not allow the rematch to resemble a passive or cautious return. He repeatedly closed distance with punches and shot for takedowns throughout the five-round contest. That aggression created difficult moments on the ground, where Pantoja put Van in bad positions. Yet Van worked calmly through those sequences and even attempted a leg lock against Pantoja during the second half of the fight. The action showed that Pantoja remained willing to press his established strengths despite the physical and competitive stakes surrounding the rematch.

The figures supplied after the fight underline why Pantoja’s initiative did not translate into a victory. UFC Stats credited him with 18 takedown attempts, but Van defended 13 of them. Van also outlanded Pantoja 259 to 152 in total strikes. Those totals help explain the breadth of the decision while preserving an important distinction: Pantoja consistently created engagements and pursued wrestling, but Van was able to answer enough of those attempts and do more sustained work at range. The final round was especially costly for Pantoja. Although the result felt uncertain entering the fifth, Van dictated range during the last five minutes and dropped Pantoja with a right hand midway through the round.

A rematch shaped by recovery and five rounds

The loss carries a different context from Alexandre Pantoja’s first fight with Van. Their December meeting ended almost immediately because Pantoja dislocated his elbow after falling awkwardly, leaving an obvious question about what a longer contest might reveal. Saturday supplied that opportunity. Pantoja had time to attack, wrestle, absorb pressure and work through every round, but Van again emerged victorious. The rematch therefore delivered a clearer sporting answer without erasing the circumstances of the first bout. Pantoja’s four successful flyweight title defenses before the initial loss remain part of the career context described in the source, while this second setback came against the same champion after a full five-round examination.

• Pantoja attempted 18 takedowns, while Van defended 13 of those attempts.
• Pantoja was outlanded 259-152 in total strikes and was dropped by a right hand in the fifth round.

Alexandre Pantoja’s rematch was not defined by the abrupt injury that ended the first fight. He returned after recovery, pressed forward and repeatedly searched for takedowns across five rounds. But Van’s defense, greater strike output and stronger final round left Pantoja on the losing end once more. The result does not turn the event into a comparison piece or remove Pantoja from its center: it is the account of a former champion who pursued a chance to correct an unusual first loss, only to find the rematch even more conclusive on the scorecards.