Los Angeles played host to a wild night of fights up and down this loaded event
Sep 20, 2026
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12:59 am ET
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2 min read
UFC 331 in Los Angeles delivered a dream night for fans. There was plenty of drama, highlight-reel knockouts and more up and down this fight card. It all reached a boiling point in a thrilling main event between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja.
Less than a year after their first encounter ended in an injury just seconds into the bout, Van and Pantoja gave fans all they could ask for in the rematch. Van used his youthful speed and precision to batter Pantoja on the outside while the Brazilian worked to get inside with his grappling and clinch work. In the end, it was Van’s effectiveness that won out as he took all three judges’ scorecards to earn the unanimous decision and his second title defense.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Arman Tsarukyan emphatically declared himself as next in line for the lightweight title. Tsarukyan, who battled through a left eye that nearly swoll shut after a nasty elbow from Mauricio Ruffy, delivered a vicious elbow of his own in the closing seconds of Round 1 to put Ruff out cold on the canvas. Tsarukyan then jumped the Octagon in celebration as he knows his next fight will be for the title.
Plus, one of the biggest upsets in UFC history took place on Saturday night as Gable Steveson entered as a massive favorite to score his second UFC win. The problem was, nobody told Sean Sharaf. After a week of bitter back and forth in the media, Sharaf landed a perfect left hook in the opening seconds of the fight to put Steveson out cold.
CBS Sports was with you all week long with the latest news, features and other content around this massive event. Thanks for stopping by and we’ll see you at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City.
UFC 331 fight card, results
- Joshua Van (c) def. Alexandre Pantoja via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 50-45)
- Arman Tsarukyan def. Mauricio Ruffy via first-round knockout (elbow)
- Patricio Pitbull def. Dooho Choi via first-round TKO (punches)
- Sean Sharaf def. Gable Steveson first-round knockout (punch)
- Alonzo Menifield def. Iwo Baraniewski via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Marlon Vera def. Charles Jourdain via third-round TKO (punches)
- Robelis Despaigne def. Tai Tuivasa via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Michael Aswell Jr. def. Joosang Yoo via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Ryan Gandra def. Ozzy Diaz via first-round TKO (punches)
- Edmen Shahbazyan def. Brunno Ferreira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Casey O’Neill def. Eduarda Moura via first-round submission (armbar)
- Joanderson Brito def. Giga Chikadze via first-round knockout (punches)
