Van And Pantoja Face Off At UFC 331 Media Day

Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja took questions at UFC 331 media day in Los Angeles ahead of their flyweight championship rematch this Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena.

The event, which streams on Paramount+, also features a lightweight co-main between Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy. Both headliners appeared alongside other card fighters including former Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull, Gable Steveson, Alonzo Menifield, and Marlon Vera, per MMA Mania.

Pantoja told CBS Sports that the first meeting's outcome came down to his own injury rather than Van's performance. "I lost for myself," he said. "I have 20 years of professional fighting, I never made a drill to push someone to break their arm like that. He didn't beat me."

The former champion pointed to his eight-fight win streak against the division's best before losing the belt, including three victories over Brandon Royval and wins over Brandon Moreno, Manel Kape, and Kai Kara-France.

Van will defend the flyweight strap for the first time since capturing it from Pantoja. The event takes place Saturday, Sept. 19, with media day interviews scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.