When is the Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja Fight? UFC 331 Main Event Walk Out Time

One of the more intriguing championship rematches in recent memory takes place tonight when UFC 331 goes down at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA.

The event concludes a six-week road trip for the UFC that’s seen the world’s leading MMA promotion make stops in Philadelphia, PA, Sacramento, CA, Shanghai, China, Paris, France, and Glendale, AZ before it finally returns home to Las Vegas, NV next weekend.

UFC 331 only features one title fight, but fans have been patiently waiting for Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja to finally run things back after their first meeting at UFC 323 saw Van claim the flyweight belt when Pantoja injured his arm after just 26 seconds of action.

Joshua Van Defended UFC Flyweight Belt After First Alexandre Pantoja Fight

With Pantoja sidelined for an extended period due to his arm injury, the UFC gave top contender Tatsuro Taira the first crack at Van’s flyweight belt in the co-main event of UFC 328.

Alexandre Pantoja (red gloves) reacts after breaking an arm against Joshua Van (blue gloves) during UFC 323 at T-Mobile Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The two flyweights ended up putting on an epic war that may go down as “Fight of the Year” once 2026 concludes, and in the end Van managed to successfully defend his belt when he stopped Taira with strikes during the fight’s final round.

Joshua Van (red gloves) fights Tatsuro Taira (blue gloves) during UFC 328 at Prudential Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Arman Tsarukyan Faces Mauricio Ruffy in UFC 311 Co-Main Event

Although there won’t be a belt on the line, the UFC 331 co-main event between Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy could help sort out the lightweight title picture following Justin Gaethje’s massive upset of Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250.

Arman Tsarukyan during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Tsarukyan missed out on his chance to finally challenge for UFC gold when he withdrew from a scheduled rematch with Islam Makhachev the day before UFC 311, but since then the 29-year-old defeated Dan Hooker in Qatar to go along with a long list of wrestling and grappling victories that he’s also secured over the last year and a half.

Mauricio Ruffy celebrates after a win against Michael Chandler (not pictured) during UFC Freedom 250 at White House South Lawn. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Fighting Nerds” standout Ruffy is currently a sizeable underdog to Tsarukyan, but the Brazilian heads into UFC 331 riding the momentum of back-to-back knockouts against Rafael Fiziev and Michael Chandler.

UFC 311 Walk Out Times for Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2

UFC 331 is set to go ahead with a total of 12 bouts after all fighters successfully made weight yesterday, and the early prelim portion of the card is scheduled to kick off at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Record breaking title reign 👑 @Pantojamma

-Most wins in flyweight history
-Most finishes in flyweight history
-Most submission wins in flyweight history
-Oldest fighter in history to win a flyweight belt

[ #Cryptocom #UFC331 | LIVE SEP 19 at 9pmET on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/qWFQDSXZGy
— UFC (@ufc) September 18, 2026

The four-fight preliminary card will follow at 7:00 p.m. ET, and the main card action will begin at 9:00 p.m. ET.

One half of the main event secured 💪@Pantojamma - 125lbs

[ #CryptoCom #UFC331 | LIVE SEP 19 at 9pmET on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/KIshj72Tbk
— UFC (@ufc) September 18, 2026

The fact that there’s only one title bout scheduled for UFC 331 should help to shorten the overall length of the night’s main card, as five-round fights can potentially take up close to an hour when accounting for walkouts, the actual fight and breaks in between rounds, and post-fight interviews.

Main event confirmed! @JoshuaVanBT weighs in at 125lbs

[ #CryptoCom #UFC331 | LIVE SEP 19 at 9pmET on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/3UdiY1Dfm6
— UFC (@ufc) September 18, 2026

With the UFC typically budgeting around a half hour per non-title fight, fans can expect that Van and Pantoja will likely make their respective walks to the Octagon between 11 and 11:30 p.m. ET depending on the results of the previous main card bouts.

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