# UFC 331: Joshua Van keeps the belt, Gable Steveson KO'd in 12 seconds

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/mma/ufc-331-joshua-van-keeps-the-belt-gable-steveson-kod-in-12-seconds)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable Editorial
Published: 20 Sept 2026
Updated: 25 Sept 2026
Retrieved: 30 Sept 2026

> The main event ended just after 9am Pakistan time. Van took a unanimous decision over Alexandre Pantoja, and the night's biggest upset took 12 seconds.

**Joshua Van kept the UFC flyweight title.** He beat Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision at UFC 331 in Los Angeles, on scorecards of 49-46, 50-45 and 48-47. The fight finished at about **9:10am Pakistan time this morning**.

It was Van's second successful defence. He had taken the belt from Pantoja by first-round TKO at UFC 323 last December, so the Brazilian went in looking to settle it. He did not: 25 minutes, and only one judge had it close.

Van is 18-2. Pantoja falls to 30-7.

## Twelve seconds

The moment of the night belonged to **Sean Sharaf**, who knocked out **Gable Steveson** with punches at **0:12 of round one**.

Steveson is the Olympic wrestling gold medallist who came into MMA undefeated at 4-0 and was being built as a heavyweight project. Sharaf, 4-2 going in, needed twelve seconds. Steveson is now 4-1 and the whole plan has to be redrawn.

## Main card, in full

| Result | Method |
|---|---|
| **Joshua Van def. Alexandre Pantoja** | unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 48-47) |
| **Arman Tsarukyan def. Mauricio Ruffy** | KO, elbow, R1, 4:54 |
| **Patricio Pitbull def. Doo Ho Choi** | KO, punches, R1, 3:28 |
| **Sean Sharaf def. Gable Steveson** | TKO, punches, R1, 0:12 |
| **Alonzo Menifield def. Iwo Baraniewski** | split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) |

Arman Tsarukyan's elbow with six seconds left in the first round was the other finish worth rewinding. It puts him back in the lightweight title conversation.

Patricio Pitbull, 38-9 now, knocked out Doo Ho Choi in under four minutes at 38 years old.

## Prelims and early prelims

| Result | Method |
|---|---|
| Marlon Vera def. Charles Jourdain | TKO, punch, R3, 2:02 |
| Robelis Despaigne def. Tai Tuivasa | split decision |
| Michael Aswell def. Joo Sang Yoo | split decision |
| Ryan Gandra def. Ozzy Diaz | KO, punches, R1, 2:04 |
| Edmen Shahbazyan def. Brunno Ferreira | unanimous decision |
| Casey O'Neill def. Eduarda Moura | submission, armbar, R1, 3:22 |
| Joanderson Brito def. Giga Chikadze | KO, punches, R1, 1:57 |

Marlon Vera ended a four-fight losing run and set a UFC bantamweight knockdown record on the way. Jourdain told the referee he did not want to continue.

Tai Tuivasa lost again, on a split card, and is now 15-11.

## Watching UFC from Pakistan

The card aired live on Paramount+. Main cards routinely land between 6am and 10am Pakistan time, because Las Vegas and Los Angeles evenings are Pakistani mornings, and the 12-hour gap to the US west coast is what makes UFC a breakfast sport here rather than a late-night one.

UFC 331 ran from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is 12 hours behind Pakistan.

## Frequently asked questions

**Who won UFC 331?**

Joshua Van retained the UFC flyweight title, beating Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 48-47) at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on 19 September 2026, which was the morning of 20 September in Pakistan.

**How long did Sean Sharaf take to beat Gable Steveson?**

Twelve seconds. Sharaf stopped the former Olympic wrestling gold medallist with punches at 0:12 of the first round, handing Steveson the first loss of his professional MMA career.

## Sources

- UFC 331 live results: Van beats Pantoja in rematch to retain title (FIGHTMAG): https://www.fightmag.com/ufc-331-van-vs-pantoja-2-live-results/
- Joshua Van carves up Alexandre Pantoja to retain UFC flyweight title at UFC 331 (Sherdog): https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-331-Van-vs-Pantoja-2-playbyplay-results-round-scoring-198765
- Crypto.com UFC 331: Van vs Pantoja 2 results (UFC): https://www.ufc.com/news/cryptocom-ufc-331-van-vs-pantoja-2-results

How to cite: "UFC 331: Joshua Van keeps the belt, Gable Steveson KO'd in 12 seconds", Searchable, 25 Sept 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/mma/ufc-331-joshua-van-keeps-the-belt-gable-steveson-kod-in-12-seconds