UFC 331 Live Updates, Highlights and Results

There's plenty to unpack after Saturday's thrilling UFC 331 card in Los Angeles. Here are our three biggest takeaways of the night.

Joshua Van Is Next Level

As the reigning UFC flyweight champion, it goes without saying that Joshua Van is elite. But the 24-year-old's thrilling decision win over Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331 was proof that he has hit a new level altogether. It was a tremendously complete performance, marked by world-class striking, impeccable defensive wrestling, unbelievable athleticism and timing, and advanced Fight IQ. He will have his work cut out for him going forward, with monsters like Manel Kape awaiting title shots, but he as all of the skills—and perhaps more importantly the time—to reign over this division for years to come.

Arman Tsarukyan Deserves The Next Title Shot

There's been some talk about the next crack at lightweight champ Justin Gaethje going to the man he won the belt from, Ilia Topuria. That wouldn't be an atrocity based on Topuria's incredible accolades, but the opportunity should go to Arman Tsarukyan instead. After his vicious knockout win over Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331, he is simply undeniable. He's also incredibly popular after a year of wrestling matches and collaborations with streamers and influencers. The timing is perfect. It should be Gaethje vs. Tsarukyan next, and Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett for the No. 1 contender spot.

MMA Might Not Be for Gable Steveson

Following an impressive knockout win in his UFC debut, former Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson arrived in Los Angeles as one of the hottest prospects in the sport. In the end, it's hard to imagine his visit to the city going any worse. After getting relentlessly chastised by fight fans all week, he then suffered a one-punch, 12-second KO loss at the hands of Sean Sharaf, a fighter whose place on the UFC roster looked fairly dubious ahead of time. To make matters worse, he then fled the cage before the official result was even read, which most people seem to agree was a pretty classless move. It was really a disaster for him, from beginning to end—so much so that he'll surely be seriously reconsidering his involvement over the coming weeks. He certainly has the ability to bounce back. The question is: will he want to bother after such a terrible experience this week?

And still!

Joshua Van had his hands full with Alexandre Pantoja in the UFC 331 main event, and had to keep his takedown defense on point, but ultimately overwhelmed the former champion with his world-class striking over five rounds.

By the time the fight was over, Pantoja was bloodied and bruised, while the champ still looked fresh.

All three judges scored the fight in his favor, and one surprisingly scored all five rounds for him.

After the fight, which is a clear frontrunner for the best of the year, Van is an impressive 18-2 overall, and 2-0 since winning the title in his first fight with Pantoja last year. He looked absolutely world class across the board in the fight—on the feet, on the mat, everywhere. He could definitely be champion for a good long while, especially considering he's just 24 years old.

In defeat, Pantoja falls to 30-7 overall. He's now on the first two-fight skid of his career, though the first loss to Van was certainly excusable. He's clearly still elite, but he continues to take a ton of damage in his fights, and at 36, is probably nearing the end of the road.

After three absolutely thrilling rounds of flyweight MMA, we're headed to the championship rounds.

Both men have had some big moments through the first three rounds, but the momentum seems to be on Van's side. He's landing more, and harder, and denying most of the former champ's takedown defense.

Whatever the case, it's a Fight of the Year contender so far, and the victory is still completely up for grabs.

At long last, it's time for the UFC 331 main event.

This fight is all about making things right.

The first time Joshua Van (17-2) and Alexandre Pantoja (30-6) fought, Van claimed the strawweight belt after his opponent suffered a fluke arm injury in less than 30 seconds. After an impressive title defense over Tatsuro Taira, he will now give Pantoja a chance to reclaim the belt. It's an opportunity Pantoja deserves, after defending the title four times, and a fight that many believe he will win.

No matter who comes out on top, we'll all hoping for a much more decisive result.

It should be an exciting fight regardless, as both guys have deep arsenals and great finishing instincts.

Here we go!

Wow!

Arman Tsarukyan was supposed to be at a disadvantage on the feet against Mauricio Ruffy.

Not so, it seems.

After chasing takedowns for most of round one, the top contender threw a vicious elbow in the clinch that put Ruffy out cold. Then he landed another before his opponent even hit the ground.

Absolutely violent stuff.

In victory, Tsarukyan has now won five-straight fights since a loss to Mateusz Gamrot. That includes big wins over Ruffy, Dan Hooker, and Charles Oliveira. A title shot should be next for him, though returning former champ Ilia Topuria could throw a wrench in those plans. Whatever the future holds, he's now 24-3 overall, and undeniably one of the best lightweights on earth.

In defeat, Ruffy is now 14-3, and 2-2 in his last four appearances.

We've now reached the co-main event of the evening, and it's one fans have been eagerly anticipating since it was first announced.

This one will be contested at lightweight, with top contender Arman Tsarukyan (23-3) taking on another man with a heck of a lot of momentum in Mauricio Ruffy (14-2).

Tsarukyan, from Armenia by way of Russia, will be looking to lock up a long-awaited crack at the lightweight belt with a fifth consecutive win. He will definitely be keen to remind the fans and UFC brass who he is after close to a year out of action, having not fought since he submitted Dan Hooker late last year.

Ruffy will have other ideas. One of the flashiest strikers in the sport today, the Brazilian will be looking to build on the momentum of a vicious knockout win over Michael Chandler at the White House. He's going to have his work cut out for him against a suffocating grappler like Tsarukyan, but after a camp spent alongside featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski in Australia, he's surely well prepared.

This one is extremely high-stakes, and it should be a lot of fun to watch. Here we go.

Patricio "Pitbull" Freire was in vintage form at UFC 331, rebounding from a tough loss to Aaron Pico with a vicious first-round stoppage of Doo Ho Choi. The Brazilian legend sealed the deal with a blistering right hand that had "The Korean Superboy" retreating with his back turned. A few shots later and it was over. It took Choi several moments to regain his composure.

In victory, Pitbull is now an impressive 38-9, and 2-2 in the UFC against very strong opposition. It's pretty amazing the former Bellator champ still fighting and winning at such a high level at 39 years old.

If he gets his way, his next fight will be against Jean Silva. That's quite an ambitious callout, but there's no question it would be a good fight.

The defeat marks the end of a three-fight streak for Choi. He's now 17-5-1 overall.

It's hard to imagine anything overshadowing Gable Steveson's unbelievable upset loss to Sean Sharaf, but we've still got plenty to look forward to.

Up next is a very compelling featherweight fight between former Bellator champ Patricio "Pitbull" Freire (37-9) and "The Korean Superboy" Doo Ho Choi (17-4-1).

Pitbull will be looking to rebound from a decisive decision loss to fellow Bellator import Aaron Pico last time out. Choi will be looking for a fourth straight win after stoppages of Bill Algeo, Nate Landwehr and Daniel Santos.

Both guys are known for entertaining the fans, so this one should be a lot of fun.

Oh. My. God.

Gable Steveson entered the cage at UFC 331 as arguably the top prospect in the sport. He left it with a vicious knockout loss—the first defeat on his pro record.

The second the fight was waved on, Sharaf began walking his opponent down, showing zero fear, and less respect. Seconds later, he uncorked a vicious left hand that landed clean, and Steveson went down.

Out like a light. In 12 seconds.

This is the biggest victory of Sean Sharaf's career, and his first in the UFC after two previous losses. The former U.S. Marine is now 5-2, and more than backed up all the trash talk he sent Steveson's way this week.

What a stunner.

Steveson is now 4-1 overall. Time will tell how he responds to what amounts to one of the worst losses of his entire athletic career, but he was walking out of the cage before the result was even read, which wasn't a great look.

The UFC just announced the full card for UFC 334, set for November 14 in New York City.

The card will be headlined by a fight for the heavyweight title, with former interim champ Ciryl Gane taking on surging contender Josh Hokit. Contrary to some confusing remarks from Dana White, the broadcast also confirmed Gane has been promoted to undisputed champion after former Tom Aspinall vacated the throne earlier this week.

The card will also feature a long-awaited women's bantamweight title fight between Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes. In other words, it's pretty stacked—just what we've come to expect from the UFC's annual stops in The Big Apple.

Up next, Gable Steveson (4-0) will take his next big test in MMA, taking on a massive underdog in Sean Sharaf (4-2).

Steveson, an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling, is arguably the hottest prospect in MMA right now, and will be looking for his second UFC win with MMA legend Jon Jones in his corner.

Sharaf is winless in his first two UFC bouts, suffering back-to-back stoppage losses. It's hard to imagine how he can win this one, but he will turn the sport upside down if he does.

Alonzo Menifield survived a legitimately disgusting thumb injury en route to a hard-fought split decision win over Iwo Baraniewski in Los Angeles. The digit was basically inverted, but for some reason, the ringside doctor ruled that he could continue, and he did not let the opportunity go to waste, finishing the fight strong.

Menifield is now the first man to beat the Pole, who entered their fight with an undefeated record. The light heavyweight veteran is now 19-6-1 overall, with wins in his last two fights. He may not ever be truly elite, but he's proven himself as a very reliable gatekeeper at 205 pounds.

In defeat, Baraniewski falls to 9-1 overall, and 3-1 in the UFC.

After an exciting undercard, it's now time for the UFC 331 main card.

We will start things off in the light heavyweight division, as unbeaten Polish prospect Iwo Baraniewski (9-0) takes on veteran contender Alonzo Menifield (18-6-1).

Baraniewski has been red hot in his career so far, winning nearly all his fights by first-round KO, including three wins in the UFC.

Menifield will be the toughest test of his career so far. The American will be looking to keep his momentum going after stopping Zhang Mingyang last time out.

After four straight losses, Ecuadorian bantamweight Marlon "Chito" Vera is back in the win column.

The former title challenger returned to winning ways in the final bout of the UFC 331 undercard, battering Canada's Charles Jourdain to a vicious third-round TKO. The late stoppage win came after the Ecuadorian scored two knockdowns in round three. It won't turn him back into a bantamweight title contender, but it was a fantastic performance against a tough opponent with a lot of momentum.

Hats off to him, really. It was a vintage performance from a guy who really needed exactly that. He's now 24-12-1 overall.

In defeat, Jourdain is back in the loss column after three straight wins. He's now 18-9-1 overall.

After six entertaining fights, we've reached our final preliminary bout: a bantamweight clash pitting former title challenger Marlon "Chito" Vera (23-12-1) against former featherweight Charles Jourdain (18-8-1).

Ecuador's Vera has fallen on tough times, with losses in his last four fights, most recently a decision at the hands of David Martinez. Despite his finishing ability, his increasingly criticized for his inactivity in the cage. Hopefully that changes here.

Jourdain, from Canada, has won three-straight since changing divisions, including a decision win over Kyler Philipps this past April.

They're both in the Octagon. Let's get to it.

Tai Tuivasa gave a good effort in his undercard heavyweight fight with Robelis Despaigne—perhaps the best effort of his last few fights—but he ultimately lost a decision to his towering opponent after three rounds.

It was an utterly sloppy fight, as the two big men emptied their gas tanks almost immediately, then spent the majority of the contest exchanging sloppy takedowns and strikes as their cardio continued to fade.

The victory brings Despaigne to 7-2 overall.

Tuivasa, meanwhile, tumbles to 14-11. With eight losses behind him, he has probably fought his last fight in the Octagon. Keeping him around can simply no longer be justified.

Up next, popular Australian heavyweight Tai Tuivasa (14-10) will look to keep his spot on the UFC roster, as he hunts for his first victory in eight fights. Standing across from him will be hulking knockout artist Robelis Despaigne, who will be making his UFC return after losing his spot with the promotion in 2024.

Tuivasa should be more dangerous than usual with his back so firmly against the wall, but Despaigne's staggering knockout power does not discriminate. He's knocked out nearly everybody he's fought, and many of them in a matter of seconds.

Don't blink in this one. Seriously.

Despite his status as a big underdog, Michael Aswell Jr. managed to lock up a split decision victory over Joo Sang Yoo in Los Angeles.

It was Aswell's success in rounds one and two, marked by an aggressive boxing and kicking attack, that won him the fight. Yoo surged back with a takedown and some smothering top control in round three, but by then it was too late.

The win separates Aswell from back-to-back decision losses to Gaston Bolaños and Luke Riley. He's now 11-5 overall.

Yoo suffers just his second pro defeat after a loss to Daniel Santos in his next most recent fight. He's now 9-2 overall, and learning the hard way that the level of competition changes significantly when you reach the UFC.

The next fight on the card will be contested at featherweight, where Michael Aswell Jr. (11-5) will take on visiting South Korean Joo Sang Yoo (9-1).

Aswell will enter the fight with losses in his last two Octagon appearances, most recently giving up a decision to Gaston Bolaños.

His South Korean opponent, nicknamed "Zombie Jr." after "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung, is also riding a loss, having been stopped by Daniel Santos last time out. Prior to that, he scored a 28-second KO win over Jeka Saragih in his UFC debut.

This should be a good fight. Let's get to it.

Ozzy Diaz was no match for Ryan Gandra.

Early in the first round, Brazil's Gandra stormed forward with a salvo of punches. The moment he began to land clean, the writing was on the walls. A few impacts later, and Diaz was slumped against the cage.

The victory brings Gandra to 3-0 in the UFC, with all of those wins coming by way of stoppage. He's definitely a fighter to watch at 185 pounds. His power is crazy. His overall record now sits at 11-1.

Diaz falls to 10-5 after stoppage losses in back-to-back fights.

Up next we've got another middleweight fight.

In one corner, we'll have Ryan Gandra (10-1). In the other, you'll find Ozzy Diaz (10-4).

Brazil's Gandra, the huge favorite, has not lost since his second pro fight, and has won two-straight fights since joining the UFC.

Diaz is riding a tough stoppage loss to Ateba Gauthier.

Edmen Shahbazyan was in control through most of round one and two of his fight with Brunno Ferreira, and finished round three by pushing is opponent to the verge of a finish. In the end, though, Ferreira survived, and Shahbazyan had to settle for a unanimous decision.

The victory gets the Californian back on track after a loss to Brendan Allen last time out. He's now 4-1 in his last five fights, which is pretty good considering he started the 2020s on a three-fight skid. He's now 16-6 overall.

In defeat, Ferreira slips onto a three-fight skid.

At the end of round two, Edmen Shahbazyan accidentally poked Brunno Ferreira in the eye. The round then ended, at which point the fighters' coaches and other officials entered the cage, only to be ushered out by the referee, who called an injury time out.

After several minutes, the break between round two and three finally began. That was pretty unusual.

On to round three. So far, Shahbazyan has been in total control with his leg kicks.

Up next, we've got a middleweight fight between Edmen Shahbazyan (16-6) and Brunno Ferreira (15-4).

Shahbazyan once looked like he could become a serious contender in his division, but has been pretty hot and cold in recent years. Most recently, he had a three-fight skid derailed by Brendan Allen.

Ferreira, from Brazil, is riding back-to-back losses Gregory Rodrigues and Ikram Aliskerov, both quality middleweights.

Casey O'Neill was in big trouble in the early going of her flyweight fight with Eduara Moura, giving up a takedown, and facing submission attempts and heavy ground-and-pound on the mat. But just when it looked like the fight was slipping away from her, she locked up a high-light reel armbar that really came out of nowhere.

It was some seriously high-level stuff.

In victory, O'Neill is 12-2 overall, with wins in her last three fights, and finishes in her last two. If she gets her way, she'll fight long-time contender Maycee Barber next.

Moura is now 12-3, and riding back-to-back losses for the first time in her career.

Up next is our lone women's bout of the night, which will see Scottish Australian "King" Casey O'Neill take (11-2) take on Brazil's Eduarda Moura (12-2) at flyweight.

O'Neill was once ranked in the flyweight top-15, and after consecutive wins over Luana Santos and Gabriella Fernandes, is well on her way to reclaiming her spot in her division's rankings.

Moura is riding a decision loss to upcoming flyweight title challenger Wang Cong, which was preceded by back-to-back wins.

Here we go.

Joanderson Brito was totally dominant in his featherweight showdown with Giga Chikadze.

Mid-way through the first round, Chikadze threw a head-kick, but missed, and slipped to the canvas. Brito then followed him there, took top position, and began to pour on some absolutely vicious ground-and-pound. Not long after, referee Frank Trigg was ending it.

In victory, Brito is now 20-5-1 overall, with wins in his last three fights. Chikadze (15-7) has now lost four straight, and two by stoppage.

UFC 331 is officially underway.

In a few minutes, we'll get to the first fight of the night: a featherweight clash between Brazil's Joanderson Brito (19-5-1) and Georgia's Giga Chikadze (15-6).

Brito is riding back-to-back wins, and most recently submitted Jordan Leavitt—quite a feather in his cap. Chikadze was once one of the top featherweights in the sport, however, he's currently riding three straight losses to Arnold Allens, David Onama, and Kevin Vallejos—the latter being a vicious KO. Still, his presence in the first bout of the night speaks to the depth of this card. It wasn't that long ago that he was headlining Fight Nights.

UFC 331 will kick off in a little over 10 minutes. Here's what's on the docket for the evening.

Looks like it could be a pretty darn good night of fights!