If you didn’t think reigning UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van and former titleholder Alexandre Pantoja were enemies then Friday’s UFC 331 pre-fight press conference certainly set the record straight.
The new champ and the old champ really don’t like each other.
Van and Pantoja first met back at UFC 323 in Dec. 2025, but that flyweight title fight ended in disaster. Pantoja, who was the reigning and defending champion at the time, injured his arm just 26 seconds into the fight (watch HERE). While some
may have looked at it as a cheap victory for Van that didn’t stop the young flyweight from stepping into the role as champion. As Pantoja recovered from his injury Van successfully defended the 125-pound title against Tatsuo Taira at UFC 328 this past May in one of the best flyweight fights of all time.
The budding rivals will finally run it back when they meet atop UFC 331 on Sept. 19 from Los Angeles, California. It will be Van’s second-straight title defense and Pantoja’s first action since coughing up the belt eight months ago. Needless to say, Van and Pantoja are eager to get back into the Octagon and prove who the best flyweight in the world is.
On Friday, the two men took to the stage for UFC 331’s pre-fight press conference. While they are usually reserved and respectful towards their opponents, Van and Pantoja were everything but when the microphones went live. Both flyweights talked trash on stage and at one point Pantoja got out of his chair and tried to press Van. Luckily, UFC CEO Dana White was right in the middle of it to prevent Pantoja from doing something he’d regret.
Check it out below:
“Hey kid, when someone talk, you shut your f—king mouth,” shouted Pantoja. “You understand?”
After the presser concluded, Van and Pantoja were brought together for their first faceoff since their initial meeting back at UFC 323. They kept their distance, but Van utilized his shiny gold UFC belt to taunt Pantoja and let him know who the champion is entering their rematch next month.
See their staredown below and let us know who has the edge ahead of UFC 331!
