There is unfinished business at the top of the UFC flyweight division. Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja meet again at UFC 331 on September 19, 2026, this time with Van entering the Octagon as champion and Pantoja trying to reclaim the belt he lost under some of the strangest circumstances possible. Their first championship fight barely had an opportunity to begin. Pantoja suffered an elbow injury just 26 seconds into the bout at UFC 323, bringing his title reign to an abrupt end and putting the belt around Van’s waist. Since then, Van has successfully defended his championship against Tatsuro Taira, while Pantoja has worked his way back from injury for the rematch.
The tension hasn’t exactly cooled off, either. Van and Pantoja had to be separated during the UFC 331 press conference in Los Angeles, adding a little more heat to a rematch that already didn’t need much help. And the main event isn’t the only reason to tune in. Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy serves as the five-round co-main event, with major implications in the lightweight division.
For fans in the United States, UFC 331 will stream on Paramount+, but traveling can complicate fight night. Streaming rights and availability differ between countries, meaning the service or UFC coverage you use at home may not be available at your destination. Away from home for UFC 331? Jump to our UFC 331 VPN guide to learn how a VPN can help when traveling.
UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja 2 Event Details
Here are the essentials before fight night:
- Event: UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja 2
- Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026
- Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
- Main Event: Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2 – UFC Flyweight Championship
- Co-Main Event: Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy
- Prelims: 6:00 p.m. ET
- Main Card: 9:00 p.m. ET
- U.S. Streaming: Paramount+
Fight cards and bout orders can change leading up to the event.
How to Watch UFC 331 in the United States
UFC viewing changed considerably for American fans in 2026.
UFC 331 is available through Paramount+ in the United States, following the UFC’s move away from its previous ESPN+ pay-per-view model. Numbered UFC events and UFC Fight Nights now stream on Paramount+ for subscribers without requiring the additional PPV purchase that fans became accustomed to under the previous broadcast agreement. The UFC 331 prelims are scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. ET, followed by the main card at 9:00 p.m. ET. That makes watching from home relatively straightforward. Things become more interesting when you leave the country.
Why Traveling Can Change Where You Watch UFC 331
A streaming subscription doesn’t necessarily travel the same way you do. UFC broadcasting rights are divided between different countries and regions. A streaming platform that carries UFC 331 at home may have different programming rights—or may not offer the same service at all—once you arrive somewhere else.
Your IP address is one of the ways streaming services can determine your approximate location. If you travel from the United States to another country, for example, your internet connection will normally give you an IP address associated with that country. That can result in different UFC streaming options than you’re accustomed to seeing at home.
It’s particularly relevant for UFC fans because there isn’t one universal UFC broadcaster covering every country under identical terms. A fan traveling during UFC 331 should therefore check the broadcaster available at their destination before fight night rather than assuming their normal setup will work exactly as it does at home.
How to Watch UFC 331 With a VPN While Traveling
A VPN (virtual private network) creates an encrypted connection between your device and a VPN server. Among its other privacy benefits, connecting to a VPN server changes the IP address websites and streaming services see. For a sports fan traveling away from home, that makes a VPN useful for maintaining a familiar internet location while on the road.
Here’s how we use a VPN when traveling for a UFC event:
- Choose a VPN with servers in your home region. We use ExpressVPN for sports because it offers a large selection of server locations and apps for the devices we normally travel with.
- Install the VPN before leaving home. Getting everything set up before your trip is much easier than troubleshooting an app shortly before the first fight.
- Connect to a server in the appropriate location. An American traveling abroad, for example, could connect to a U.S. VPN server to receive a U.S. IP address.
- Open your normal UFC streaming service. For U.S. viewers, UFC 331 is available through Paramount+.
- Get connected before the card begins. UFC 331’s prelims start hours before Van and Pantoja enter the Octagon, so don’t wait until the main-event walkouts to test your connection.
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Van vs. Pantoja 2: Now We Get the Real Fight
There’s a reason this rematch feels different from the usual immediate title runback. We barely got a first fight. Pantoja entered UFC 323 as flyweight champion and came out aggressively against Van. During an early scramble, however, Pantoja suffered a serious arm injury after posting on the mat. The fight was stopped just 26 seconds into the opening round, and Van became the new UFC flyweight champion. It was officially a Van victory, but 26 seconds wasn’t enough to answer much about how the two actually match up.
Van has done something important since then: he defended the belt. His fifth-round TKO victory over Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 gave the new champion the kind of performance he needed after the unusual circumstances surrounding his title win. He’s no longer walking into Pantoja 2 simply as the fighter who happened to leave their first meeting with the belt.
Pantoja, meanwhile, finally gets the chance to regain a championship he never truly got the opportunity to defend that night. And if there was any question about whether the rematch had become personal, the UFC 331 press conference answered it. Van and Pantoja exchanged words before Pantoja approached the champion and the two had to be kept apart. The first fight gave us an ending. UFC 331 should finally give us an answer.
Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy Could Shake Up Lightweight
The co-main event has a completely different kind of tension. Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy is scheduled for five rounds, giving both lightweights a major opportunity in one of the UFC’s most competitive divisions.
Tsarukyan has been around the championship conversation before and remains determined to get back there. A victory over Ruffy would add another significant name to his résumé, although Tsarukyan himself has acknowledged that winning at UFC 331 doesn’t automatically guarantee the next title shot.
For Ruffy, the equation is simpler: beating a contender of Tsarukyan’s caliber would be difficult for the division to ignore. It makes for an excellent co-main event because one fighter is trying to reassert his place near the front of the line while the other has an opportunity to jump forward.
UFC 331 Main Card
The announced UFC 331 main card currently includes:
- Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2 – UFC Flyweight Championship
- Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy – Lightweight
- Patricio Pitbull vs. Doo Ho Choi – Featherweight
- Renato Moicano vs. Brian Ortega – Lightweight
- Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski – Light Heavyweight
The card gives UFC 331 some depth beyond its championship headliner. Patricio Pitbull vs. Doo Ho Choi is particularly interesting for longtime MMA fans, while Brian Ortega and Renato Moicano add another pair of recognizable names before the two five-round fights close the show. As always with UFC events, bouts can be moved, changed or canceled before September 19.
What Time Does UFC 331 Start?
UFC 331 takes place Saturday, September 19 from Los Angeles. For viewers in the continental United States, the currently scheduled times are:
- Eastern: Prelims 6:00 p.m. / Main Card 9:00 p.m.
- Central: Prelims 5:00 p.m. / Main Card 8:00 p.m.
- Mountain: Prelims 4:00 p.m. / Main Card 7:00 p.m.
- Pacific: Prelims 3:00 p.m. / Main Card 6:00 p.m.
Remember that 9:00 p.m. ET is the beginning of the main card, not the scheduled start of Van vs. Pantoja 2. The exact main-event walkout time will depend on the length of the fights preceding it.
UFC 331 Travel and Streaming FAQ
Yes. UFC numbered events moved to Paramount+ in the United States in 2026. UFC 331 is scheduled to stream on Paramount+ for U.S. subscribers.
UFC 331 takes place Saturday, September 19, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van will defend his championship against former champion Alexandre Pantoja in a rematch of their unusual UFC 323 fight.
We recommend it. Install the VPN, sign into your streaming accounts and make sure everything works before leaving home. It’s much easier to solve a login or device problem before your trip than during the UFC 331 prelims.
One Rematch Worth Staying Up For
UFC 331 isn’t compelling because Van and Pantoja need months of manufactured hype. Van now has a title defense behind him. Pantoja finally has his opportunity to reclaim the championship he lost through injury. And judging by their first UFC 331 press conference together, neither man plans on treating the rematch as a formality. Add Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy and a main card with several established names, and September 19 has the ingredients for a strong night of fights. If you’re going to be away from home when the Octagon returns to Los Angeles, just make your streaming plans before you travel.
