The UFC makes its way to Los Angeles, California, this coming weekend as Joshua Van defends his flyweight title in a much-anticipated rematch with Alexandre Pantoja.
Alonzo Menifield vs Iwo Baraniewski
A light heavyweight bout kicks off the main card as Alonzo Menifield looks to get his second win of the year against the undefeated Iwo Baraniewski.
Menifield made his UFC debut in 2019 and has since recorded 11 victories, with five of these coming via knockout.
‘Atomic’ has a background in college football, which has led to him having an explosive fighting style in the octagon, constantly looking to finish his opponents with powerful left hooks and overhand rights.
His opponent, Iwo Baraniewski, has finished all three of his UFC fights via TKO in the first round, making him a significant threat as soon as the bell goes.
The Polish-born Baraniewski has a black belt in judo and a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, making him a threat in any scenario that he finds himself in. He likes to apply high pressure to his opponents and will constantly be looking for a finish.
An intriguing encounter to start the card, but one that I think Baraniewski can get the upper hand in.
Both men will be attempting to get on the front foot right away, and their striking may be neutralized by the other’s style. However, I think Baraniewski has the speed to land the first heavy shot, and he will be able to capitalize from there.
Final Prediction: Iwo Baraniewski via first-round TKO.
Gable Stevenson vs Sean Sharaf
26-year-old Gable Stevenson made his UFC debut in July, defeating Elisha Ellison via a round one TKO.
The former professional wrestler had three MMA fights before being signed by the UFC and won them all in the first round, putting the heavyweight division on notice.
His freestyle wrestling background makes him a threat to anybody in the heavyweight division, especially if the fight reaches the mat. But his striking is also dangerous, and Stevenson possesses the power to end a fight in a moment’s notice.
On the other side of the octagon will be 33-year-old Sean Sharaf, who has lost both of his UFC bouts against Junior Tafa and Steven Asplund.
‘The Smoke’ has his work cut out on Saturday night and will be relying on his orthodox style and accurate striking if he is going to spring a surprise.
I can only see one outcome here, though, and that is a Stevenson knockout victory, as the UFC continues to build his name up before he starts fighting ranked fighters.
I think Stevenson will immediately pressure Sharaf and finish the fight with a neat combination relatively quickly.
Final prediction: Gable Stevenson via first-round knockout.
Patricio Pitbull vs Dooho Choi
Patricio Pitbull hasn’t had the best time in the UFC since signing in April 2025, losing against both Yair Rodriguez and Aaron Pico, although he did register a victory over the experienced Dan Ige.
Pitbull has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and has great takedown defence, making him an awkward opponent for even the best of fighters in the featherweight division.
The Brazilian also uses a karate-like stance to lure his opponents in before he counter strikes efficiently.
As for his opponent, Dooho Choi has been in the UFC since 2014 but has only had ten fights, securing six victories in this period.
Choi is a talented striker and has shared the octagon with the likes of Cub Swanson and Jeremy Stephens.
The South Korean prefers to pick his strikes precisely rather than having a huge volume of strikes and uses his stiff straight jab very effectively to set up bigger shots.
Despite Pitbull struggling in the UFC so far, this is a slightly easier assignment than his previous fights, and I expect him to pick up the victory.
I expect Pitbull to search for takedowns in this fight like he did against Ige, perhaps threatening a submission but not securing one.
Choi will look to pressure Pitbull as the fight goes on, but the Brazilian will counter effectively and land some clean strikes of his own, earning him points on the judge’s scorecard.
Final prediction: Patricio Pitbull to win via unanimous decision.
Arman Tsarukyan vs Mauricio Ruffy
An enticing lightweight bout is in the co-main event slot for UFC 331, with both men vying for a potential shot at the title in the not-so-distant future.
Tsarukyan made his UFC debut in 2019 and has only suffered two defeats during his time on the promotion, one coming against the former lightweight and current welterweight champion Islam Makhachev.
The Armenian was last seen when submitting Dan Hooker in November 2025 and will be hoping to put his name back into the picture on Saturday night.
‘Batman’ fights in an orthodox stance and has great grappling skills, often holding his opponents on the mat for long periods whilst attempting to find a submission.
Tsarukyan also has great cardio and an array of striking abilities, including a plethora of kicks, making him a threat both on the feet and on the ground.
Mauricio Ruffy only has one defeat in his six UFC bouts at the hands of Benoit Saint-Denis and is making his third appearance of 2026 after beating Rafael Fiziev and knocking out Michael Chandler on the White House card.
The Brazilian has great striking and uses a karate-style stance to allow him to manage different situations inside the octagon. Ruffy will constantly be on the move in an attempt to stay out of the pocket and likes to strike from different angles.
Ruffy has a lot of power in his strikes and will be looking to keep Tsarukyan on the feet in order to find the right opportunity to land one.
This is a difficult fight to predict with both fighters holding clear paths to victory, but I am going to edge towards Tsarukyan due to his superior grappling skills.
I believe Ruffy will land some nice strikes in the first round while Tsarukyan will be feeling out his opponent before operating a more wrestling-based approach in the second round.
Once the Armenian gets Ruffy down, I can see him taking the back and securing a rear naked choke.
Final prediction: Arman Tsarukyan via round two submission.
Joshua Van ( C ) vs Alexandre Pantoja
A much-anticipated rematch for the flyweight championship headlines the card as Joshua Van looks to defend his title against the former champion Alexandre Pantoja.
Van won the championship after Pantoja dislocated his elbow in round one of their fight at UFC 323 and has since defended the belt against Tatsuro Taira, who he knocked out in round five.
‘The Fearless’ uses his clean boxing ability in his bouts to dictate the pace and frustrate his opponents. Van has great distance management and likes to pressure his opponents by using his job to bring in other aspects of his boxing.
As for Pantoja, the Brazilian held the belt for 882 days after defeating Brandon Moreno and had four consecutive title defences against Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura, and Kai Kara-France.
‘The Cannibal’ has excellent ground game and is one of the most elite submission artists in the UFC due to his relentless, aggressive style on the ground.
Pantoja can sometimes be reckless on the feet and likes to push his opponents back towards the fence, something that Van could maybe exploit.
Another tricky fight to call, but I am going with Pantoja to reclaim the belt that he feels is rightfully his.
I think Van will find some joy on the feet, but that large proportions of the fight will be spent on the ground, with Pantoja trying to execute a submission.
As the fight goes into the championship rounds, I think Pantoja will land one ground and pound strikes that will ultimately sway the judges.
Final prediction: Alexandre Pantoja to win by unanimous decision.
UFC 331 takes place this weekend at the Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles.
My name is Jack Latham.
I am 20 years old and am currently studying Sports Journalism at the University of Chester.
I became interested in combat sports, particularly MMA, in the lockdown period and have followed it closely ever since.
I have previously created my own website titled ‘Combat Corner,’ where I produce MMA content.