Joshua Van Reveals Torn AC Joint at UFC 331

Joshua Van entered UFC 331 carrying more than the responsibility of defending the UFC flyweight title. Van revealed that he had a torn AC joint ahead of the event, and Sherdog reported that he went into his second flyweight title defense with a significant shoulder injury. The disclosure adds important context to a championship performance that ended with Joshua Van retaining against Alexandre Pantoja.

The injury detail does not change the confirmed result, but it changes how the title defense can be understood. Joshua Van was not simply preparing for another championship assignment; he was doing so with a documented shoulder issue attached to an AC joint tear. No further medical details, treatment information or timetable were supplied in the verified material, so the significance of the revelation rests on the straightforward fact that Van competed despite the injury. At UFC 331, he retained the flyweight championship over Pantoja, with Sherdog describing Van as determined to prove that he was the undisputed king of the division. That combination of an injury disclosure and a successful defense is the central development surrounding Joshua Van after the event.

Joshua Van’s injury adds context to title win

A torn AC joint is the specific injury identified in the Sherdog headline, while the accompanying report states that Joshua Van entered his second flyweight title defense with a significant shoulder injury. Those are the supported facts available about Van’s condition. The supplied reports do not establish when the injury occurred, how it affected his preparation, or whether it influenced any particular sequence during the fight. Keeping those limits clear matters because the injury news is substantial on its own without attaching unverified explanations to it.

What is confirmed is that Joshua Van completed the UFC 331 title defense and retained his flyweight belt against Alexandre Pantoja. The event took place on Sept. 19, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, according to the MMA Mania report on the California State Athletic Commission’s released fight-night weights. That report also provides a measurable piece of context from the same event: Van officially weighed 125 pounds on Friday morning and entered the Octagon at 145.8 pounds. Pantoja officially weighed 125 pounds and had a fight-night weight of 140.2 pounds. The figures do not explain the injury or the result, but they document the physical dimensions reported for the two title-fight participants on fight night.

Fight-night figures frame UFC 331

The CSAC figures show that Joshua Van gained 20.8 pounds from the official weigh-in to fight night, a change listed as 17 percent. Pantoja gained 15.2 pounds, listed as 12 percent. Van therefore held a 5.6-pound fight-night advantage over the former champion. These numbers are relevant event context, not a substitute for analysis of the bout or an explanation for the outcome. The verified material only supports that the commission released the figures and that Van retained his title after entering the contest with the reported shoulder injury. Together, the reports establish a concise chronology: Van had a torn AC joint before UFC 331, defended the flyweight title at the event, and emerged as champion after facing Pantoja.

• Joshua Van revealed a torn AC joint ahead of UFC 331 and entered his second flyweight title defense with a significant shoulder injury.
• Joshua Van retained the UFC flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331.

Joshua Van’s UFC 331 victory now carries the added confirmed context of a torn AC joint and a significant shoulder injury entering the defense. The available reporting does not provide a diagnosis beyond that disclosure or define what comes next. It does establish that Joshua Van defended the flyweight championship against Alexandre Pantoja despite the injury and retained it at UFC 331.