After their first fight ended abruptly due to a freak injury, flyweight champion Joshua Van will run it back with ex-titleholder Alexandre Pantoja in the main event of UFC 331 on Saturday night in Los Angeles, California.
Van enters as a -142 moneyline favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook. Pantoja is a +120 underdog, with the fight total set at O/U 4.5 Rounds.
Along with traditional sports betting and daily fantasy, you can now have more action than ever for UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja 2. Check out DraftKings UFC Pick6 for my favorite picks for Saturday’s UFC event.
Alexandre Pantoja | More Than 3.5 Takedowns
Many have quickly forgotten that, before getting injured, Alexandre Pantoja (30–6, 14–4 UFC) established himself as a clear No. 2 on the flyweight G.O.A.T. list. The 36-year-old Brazilian defended the belt four times, largely thanks to his elite jiu-jitsu. “The Cannibal” has averaged 2.79 takedowns per 15 minutes inside the Octagon, landing at least three of them in five straight bouts before his freak injury at UFC 323.
Pantoja’s grappling should be his most effective weapon on Saturday night against the high-octane striker, Joshua Van (17–2, 10–1 UFC). While the reigning champion sports an impressive 75 percent takedown defense in the UFC, he was grounded eight times during his first title defense against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328.
Joshua Van | More Than 86.5 Significant Strikes
Even if Alexandre Pantoja follows in Tatsuro Taira’s footsteps and decides to grapple, he likely won’t stay out of harm’s way for long. Joshua Van averages the second-most significant strikes per minute in UFC history (8.43), and he piled up 131 on Taira before securing the fifth-round TKO victory.
Excluding his first run-in with Pantoja, which ended in just 26 seconds, Van has landed north of 86.5 significant strikes in seven of his nine trips to the Octagon. Pantoja has never been afraid to stand and bang, giving Van a clear runway to smash his modest significant-strikes line on Saturday night.
Arman Tsarukyan | More Than 7:30 Control Time
Arman Tsarukyan (23–3, 10–2 UFC) is a heavy favorite in Saturday’s co-main event against Mauricio Ruffy (14–2, 5–1 UFC) for a reason. The Armenian lightweight is one of the most dominant wrestlers on the active roster and has a clear advantage on the mat. Tsarukyan likely won’t waste time taking it to the ground, given Ruffy’s exceptional striking skill set — often compared to a young Conor McGregor.
Ruffy’s grappling deficiencies were exposed late last year when Benoit Saint Denis submitted him. But even so, it seems unlikely Tsarukyan will stand and trade with the prolific kickboxer; whether by working the clinch or spamming takedowns, he should blanket Ruffy for more than 7:30 of control time.
Sean Sharaf | More Than 9.5 Significant Strikes
Undefeated heavyweight prospect Gable Steveson (4–0, 1–0 UFC) enters as an enormous -2400 favorite against Sean Sharaf (4–2, 0–2 UFC). But while he’s well-positioned to extend his highlight reel, his opponent’s significant strikes line is far too low heading into Saturday night.
Despite starting his UFC career with a pair of knockout losses, Sharaf has averaged 7.41 significant strikes per minute while clearing 50 significant strikes in both bouts. And while Steveson made quick work of Elisha Ellison in his Octagon debut earlier this year, he absorbed 13 significant strikes en route to the first-round stoppage victory.
Iwo Baraniewski | More Than 0.5 Knockouts
In four fights across Dana White’s Contender Series and the UFC, Iwo Baraniewski (9–0, 3–0 UFC) has recorded four knockouts in under four minutes of total fight time. The Polish light heavyweight has never seen a second round in his life, and he heads into Los Angeles riding the momentum from seven straight wins by knockout or TKO.
Baraniewski now faces the formidable but chinny Alonzo Menifield (18–6–1, 11–6–1 UFC). Four of the veteran’s pro losses have come inside the distance — including three knockout losses in his last six fights.
Robelis Despaigne | More Than 106.5 Fantasy Points
Cuban heavyweight Robelis Despaigne (6–2, 1–2 UFC) earned a second chance in the UFC after sending former champion Junior Dos Santos to the shadow realm on Netflix’s MVP MMA card earlier this year. All of his pro victories have come by first-round knockout — including his UFC debut in March 2024, when he starched Josh Parisian inside 20 seconds. That statement performance was good for 127.9 fantasy points.
Despaigne will seemingly be sitting on a fantasy-point gold mine at UFC 331, entering as a -550 favorite against the beleaguered Tai Tuivasa (15–10, 8–10 UFC). The Australian fan favorite has dropped seven straight bouts — one loss away from tying the all-time record — and has already been chinned three times in his career.
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