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Joshua Van successfully defended his UFC flyweight title on Saturday night, securing a unanimous decision victory over Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331 in Los Angeles. The judges scored the bout 49-46, 49-47, and 50-45 in favor of the 24-year-old champion from Myanmar.
The matchup served as a definitive conclusion to their rivalry following their initial meeting in December, which ended abruptly after Pantoja suffered an accidental elbow dislocation 26 seconds into the fight. Van, who became the first UFC champion from Myanmar, successfully defended his title against Tatsuro Taira in May before this rematch. Following his victory, Van moved his professional record to 18 wins and two losses.
The fight saw Pantoja secure a takedown in the first round, but Van utilized a tactical striking approach in the subsequent rounds. After a competitive fourth round where Pantoja controlled the action on the ground, Van knocked Pantoja down with an overhand right in the final round to solidify his win on the scorecards.
In the co-main event, lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan extended his winning streak to six fights by knocking out Mauricio Ruffy with an elbow strike in the first round. Tsarukyan expressed interest in a future title bout against champion Justin Gaethje following the victory.
Other notable results included Patricio Pitbull, who earned his first UFC stoppage win by defeating Dooho Choi via technical knockout in the first round of their featherweight contest. In the heavyweight division, Sean Sharaf recorded an upset victory over Gable Steveson, ending the fight with a technical knockout just 12 seconds into the opening round. The result stands as the third-fastest knockout in the history of the UFC heavyweight division.
Article source: www.aljazeera.com | Image credit: www.aljazeera.com
