UFC 331 Results: Tsarukyan Knocks Out Ruffy, Sharaf Stuns Steveson in 12 Seconds, Vera Stops Jourdain, Despaigne Edges Tuivasa

Los Angeles – UFC 331 results: Joshua Van retained the flyweight title with a unanimous decision over Alexandre Pantoja, Arman Tsarukyan knocked out Mauricio Ruffy with elbows in the co-main event, Sean Sharaf knocked out Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson in 12 seconds, Marlon Vera stopped Charles Jourdain, and Robelis Despaigne edged Tai Tuivasa by split decision.

Five rounds, one belt, and a champion who needed this one. Van vs. Pantoja 2 closed the night in Los Angeles the way a title fight should.

UFC 331 Results: Full Card

Main Card

• Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja (flyweight title):
• Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy (lightweight): KO (elbow) Rd 1
• Patricio Freire def. Doo Ho Choi: TKO (punches and elbows), R1 3:28
• Sean Sharaf def. Gable Steveson: KO (punch), R1 0:12
• Alonzo Menifield def. Iwo Baraniewski: split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Prelims

• Marlon Vera def. Charles Jourdain: TKO (submission to punches), R3 2:02
• Robelis Despaigne def. Tai Tuivasa: split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Michael Aswell Jr. def. Joo Sang Yoo: split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
• Ryan Gandra def. Osman “Ozzy” Diaz: TKO (punches), R1 2:04

Early Prelims

• Edmen Shahbazyan def. Brunno Ferreira: unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Casey O’Neill def. Eduarda Moura: submission (armbar), R1 3:20
• Joanderson Brito def. Giga Chikadze: KO (punches), R1 1:57

Main Event: Joshua Van is Still the Undisputed Fly Weight Champion

Joshua Van didn’t just keep his belt in Los Angeles. He took the asterisk off it.

The 24-year-old champion beat Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 50-45) in a five-round main event that had the building on its feet, and he did it in the way that mattered most: by going the full 25 minutes with the man who held the flyweight title before him and never giving it back.

Pantoja started like a man who felt robbed. He pressured Van from the opening bell, mixed his striking with his grappling, and made it clear this wasn’t going to be a coronation. The first round belonged to him.

Then Van settled. Rounds two and three were where he took the fight over, and he did it with discipline rather than fireworks. He kept the fight in open space, made Pantoja work for every entanglement, and picked him apart with the cleaner shots. When Pantoja did get him down, Van limited the damage and got back to his feet.

The championship rounds are where this one got tense. Pantoja put Van on the canvas in the fourth but couldn’t build on it, and the fight came into the fifth looking dead even on the eye test.

Van took the fifth outright. He came forward, landed in combination, walked Pantoja down, dropped him and kept the pressure on until the horn. That’s the round that turned a close fight into a clear one.

What the Scorecards Say

Look at the spread: 49-46, 48-47, 50-45. One judge gave Pantoja two rounds, one gave him one, and one gave him nothing at all despite a first round almost everyone scored his way. That’s the range you get in a fight this competitive, but all three landed on the same name.

Why This One Meant More

Van won the belt at UFC 323 when Pantoja’s shoulder gave out, and plenty of people refused to call him a real champion because of how it ended. Some of them said so to his face.

This was the answer. Two straight title defenses now, and this one came against the same man, in a full five-round fight, with the scorecards going his way on all three.

Van’s story runs from Myanmar to Houston to a UFC title. He’s the first Asian-born male champion in UFC history and the second youngest champion the promotion has ever had. Different ocean, same journey a lot of our people know: leave home, carry it with you, make the world learn your name.

At 24, with the belt and the receipts, he’s only getting started.

Co-Main: Arman Tsarukyan Knocks Out Mauricio Ruffy in RD 1

Four seconds. That’s how close Mauricio Ruffy came to making it out of the first round.

Tsarukyan didn’t let him. With the two locked up against the fence and the round about to end, the Armenian fired two short, vicious elbows that landed flush and put Ruffy out cold at 4:56 of Round 1.

It wasn’t easy getting there. Ruffy landed a clean right hand right away, and Tsarukyan switched to his wrestling. Ruffy did an excellent job staying on his feet and stuffing the takedowns, which is not something many lightweights can say about a round with Tsarukyan. So Tsarukyan found another way in the clinch.

Elbows were the theme of the night. Pitbull used them to finish Doo Ho Choi earlier on the main card, and anyone in the Pacific remembers what one well-placed elbow did for Tai Tuivasa against Derrick Lewis in 2022. Tsarukyan’s pair was the cleanest of the bunch.

Now the numbers: six straight wins, and four of his last five inside the distance. If anyone still doubted who’s next in line for the lightweight title, they don’t now. Tsarukyan is the No. 1 contender at 155 pounds, and on this form he’s as dangerous as anyone in the division.

Patricio “Pitbull” Freire Stops Doo Ho Choi

Pitbull still has it. The former Bellator two-division champion landed a right hand over the top that froze Choi in place, then swarmed him on the canvas with punches and elbows. Choi was bleeding from a cut above his right eye when the referee stepped in at 3:28 of the first round.

Sean Sharaf Stuns Gable Steveson in 12 Seconds

This was the upset of the night, and it was over almost as soon as it started.

Steveson, the Olympic gold medal wrestler and the heavy favorite, opened with a low kick. Sharaf answered with a huge left hook that dropped him. A few hammerfists later it was over, 12 seconds into the first round. It’s a stunning setback for one of the most hyped prospects in the heavyweight division, and the biggest win of Sharaf’s career.

Alonzo Menifield Rallies Past Iwo Baraniewski

Baraniewski took the first round with sharp striking and a takedown. Menifield answered in the second with aggressive combinations, then won a close third with his clinch work. He took the split decision, 28-29, 29-28, 29-28.

Marlon Vera Breaks Down Charles Jourdain

“Chito” was in control from the opening bell. Vera chopped at Jourdain’s legs with low kicks and dumped him with trip takedowns, winning the first two rounds.

In the third he finished it. Vera dug a left hook to the body, came back upstairs with another to the head, and Jourdain folded to the canvas and waved it off at 2:02 of the third round. It was a patient, veteran performance from one of the bantamweight division’s toughest outs.

Robelis Despaigne Edges Tai Tuivasa, Bam Bam Ties Ferguson’s Record

The fight ICM was watching most went the distance and went against us.

Both heavyweights were hurt in a wild first round before Tuivasa took the 6’7″ Cuban down and held him there. Tuivasa had the better of the second round in the clinch and on the mat. Despaigne took over in the third, and two of the three judges gave him the fight.

The loss is Tuivasa’s eighth straight, tying Tony Ferguson for the longest losing streak in UFC history. It was close enough that one judge had Tuivasa winning, and he came up short without ever quitting.

Full breakdown: Tai Tuivasa vs. Robelis Despaigne result

Michael Aswell Jr. Survives Late Push From Joo Sang Yoo

Aswell built his lead early, attacking Yoo’s legs and leaning on him in the clinch through the first two rounds. Yoo came alive in the third with a takedown and top control, but it wasn’t enough. Aswell took the split decision, 28-29, 29-28, 29-28.

Ryan Gandra Stops Ozzy Diaz in Round 1

A multi-punch combination backed Diaz onto the fence, an overhand right dropped him, and Gandra followed him down with ground-and-pound until the referee stepped in at 2:04 of the first round.

Edmen Shahbazyan Controls Brunno Ferreira

Shahbazyan chopped at Ferreira’s legs with low kicks, picked his shots, and never let the dangerous Brazilian get comfortable. He finished strong with a knockdown in the third round and took the unanimous decision, 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. It was a mature, disciplined performance.

Casey O’Neill Escapes a D’arce, Taps Eduarda Moura With an Armbar

Moura had O’Neill in trouble. She worked from top position and sank in a D’arce choke that could have ended the night. O’Neill escaped, swung straight into an armbar, and Moura tapped at 3:20 of the first round. It’s her second straight first-round stoppage, and UFC.com is already calling it a Submission of the Year contender.

Joanderson Brito Knocks Out Giga Chikadze

Chikadze started well, landing his kicks from range. Then he slipped throwing a head kick, and Brito pounced. He followed Chikadze to the mat, landed in his guard and unloaded ground-and-pound until Chikadze went out at 1:57 of the first round. That’s three straight wins for Brito.

For the Culture. By the Culture.