Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja Are Running It Back for the Flyweight Belt at UFC 331

The UFC is officially heading back to Los Angeles, and they are bringing a flyweight title rematch with them. Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja are set to run it back in the main event of UFC 331, according to a report from MMA Junkie.

When the promotion books a rematch for a title, it usually means the first fight left enough meat on the bone to justify a sequel. Pantoja has been a staple at the top of the 125-pound food chain, while Van is trying to prove he belongs at the absolute peak of a division that moves at a million miles an hour. The UFC does not just hand out title rematches unless the first fight was an absolute barnburner or a controversial mess.

"MMA Junkie reported the fight announcement directly from the UFC."

Flyweight fights are basically high-speed car chases inside a cage. You blink, and someone is either locked in a triangle choke or eating a flying knee. Putting the belt on the line in L.A. guarantees the kind of chaotic pacing that makes the 125-pound division the best kept secret in combat sports.

Oddsmakers are going to have a headache setting the lines for this one. Rematches are notoriously tricky to price because you have direct data to look at, but you also have to guess which guy actually learned something from getting punched in the face the first time. The betting market will likely swing based on who the public thinks has the higher ceiling for adjustments.

Both guys are currently healthy and active, which means we get a full training camp of anticipation without the usual injury drama. Expect the sportsbooks to drop the opening odds shortly, and prepare for the kind of five-round scramble that makes you exhausted just watching from the couch.