In a 5-round flyweight championship bout in the main event, Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja meet Saturday at UFC 331 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The early prelims start at 5:30 p.m. ET, the prelims begin at 7 p.m. ET, and the main card is scheduled for a 9 p.m. ET start (all on Paramount+). Let's analyze UFC odds around the UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja odds and make our expert UFC picks and predictions
.Records: Van (17-2-0) | Pantoja (30-6-0)
The Burmese-born Van secured a Round 1 KO/TKO win over Pantoja at UFC 323 to secure the flyweight belt, and he successfully defended the strap at UFC 328 with a Round 5 KO/TKO over Tatsuro Taira. That's 7 consecutive victories for "The Fearless", including 3 KO/TKO wins and 4 unanimous-decision
victories.
Pantoja, a.k.a. "The Cannibal", is looking to bounce back after that loss to Van. It's his first fight since the Dec. 6 setback at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. That snapped an 8-bout win streak, which included 4 submission wins and 4 decision victories. His last win was at UFC 317 in a Round 3 submission against Kai-Kara France.
Van is 12 years younger than Pantoja, while the Brazilian-born fighter has a 2.5-inch reach advantage over the champ. Van holds an 8.43-to-4.38 significant strikes landed per minute advantage, while he is much more accurate at 62.37% on those strikes, too. Pantoja chimes in at 54.61% in the category. On takedown average, Pantoja has managed a 2.79 mark, while Van has a 0.82 on takedowns. Pantoja also has a 0.98-to-0.21 submission average advantage.
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UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:45 a.m. ET.
- Fight result (2-way line): Van -145 (bet $145 to win $100) | Pantoja +120 (bet $100 to win $120)
- Over/Under: 3.5 rounds (Over -110 | Under -120)
- Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +165 | No -225)
UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja picks and predictions
Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)
VAN (-145) is a strong play on the 2-way line in this rematch.
Van came out of nowhere to secure the title, and many wondered if he caught the veteran Pantoja with a lucky punch in their first meeting last December. But he backed it up with a successful title defense against Taira in a Round 5 KO/TKO four months ago. He has tremendous punching power and great speed. The only concern is Pantoja's reach advantage.
Over/Under
While the first fight was over before anyone really broke a sweat, this rematch in LA should go a little longer. Pantoja won't be surprised early on. We'll go OVER 3.5 ROUNDS (-110). No (-225): Fight to go the distance is a little on the pricey side. I think we could see a Round 4 or 5 win for the champ this time around.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Follow Daniel Dobish on X at @danieledobish. Follow SportsbookWire on X at SportsBookWire and on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Sportsbook Wire: UFC 331: Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja odds, picks and predictions
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