The Bigger Picture | Crypto.com UFC 331: Van vs Pantoja 2

The big question heading into Saturday night’s main event was whether Joshua Van’s initial title win over Alexandre Pantoja was simply a freak accident where the Brazilian would reclaim the title at his first opportunity or if the ascending standout from Myanmar was, in fact, the unquestioned king of the flyweight division.

The defense rests, your honor.

CRYPTO.COM UFC 331 REWIND: Results, Highlights and Interviews

Van showed in the rematch that he is the genuine article and a fascinating figure atop one of the most electric divisions in the sport at the moment, authoring a brilliant performance to retain the title.

As he did in his first defense against Tatsuro Taira earlier this year, Van exhibited poise under pressure when taken down, a deft ability to minimize damage and get to his feet, and the urgency to understand he needed to make every moment on the feet count in order to offset his time spent stapled to the canvas. As the fight progressed, he was able to neutralize the takedowns more quickly and punish Pantoja on the feet, his extended combinations and commitment to working the body paying dividends, as always, as he pulled away from the ever-game challenger down the stretch.

Not only did this performance eliminate any lingering questions about Van’s place upon the throne, but it also established the 24-year-old champion as one of the most electric, must-see competitors in the sport right now, as he turned in yet another Fight of the Night-winning effort and put forth another Fight of the Year contender. Crazy as it would have sounded even at this time last year, Van is on the fast track to becoming one of the biggest stars in the UFC and, with a long runway ahead of him, could become an absolute legend if he’s able to keep this up for another few years.

What makes this extra exciting is that flyweight is white hot right now and there is no reason to believe that is going to subside any time soon.

DWCS: Week 7 Preview | Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 10

Manel Kape is waiting in the wings for a championship opportunity, Taira and Lone’er Kavanagh are young contemporaries of Van who could become part of a triumvirate of standouts atop the division, and veteran mainstays like Brandon Royval, Kyoji Horiguchi and Brandon Moreno still have plenty to offer, if not as title threats, at least as dangerous veterans lining the path to title contention. Pantoja as well. Mix in the likes of Asu Almabayev, Ramazan Temirov, Alessandro Costa and Rei Tsuruya and you have a nice mix of talent still working forward in the division that could join these conversations soon.

This was an outstanding performance from the champion, a “the old guy has still got it” showing from the challenger, and a tremendous coming-out party for the division as a whole.

Tsarukyan Should Be Next At Lightweight

After bludgeoning Mauricio Ruffy at the close of the first round to run his winning streak to six, I genuinely cannot make a case for anyone other than Arman Tsarukyan being a part of the next lightweight title matchup, whatever that ends up looking like.

The Armenian struggled to drag Ruffy to the canvas and put his superior grappling skills to use, but it didn’t matter because just as the opening round was about to expire, Tsarukyan uncorked a pair of hellacious elbows that sent the Brazilian to The Land of Whispers and Ghosts. Tsarukyan knew he needed an emphatic performance to give himself a chance at challenging for gold next time out, and this was that performance. Keeping him out of a title fight after this showing would be a difficult sell.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Gane-Hokit, Harrison-Nunes Headline UFC 334 In New York City

Now, I understand there are many factors to consider here and, as UFC President Dana White said at his post-event media availability, it’s still uncertain what champion Justin Gaethje is going to do next, so speculating about who will challenge “The Highlight” for the title is putting the cart before the horse in some ways. That being said, former champ Ilia Topuria seems like the only other real option beyond Tsarukyan and, with all due respect to “El Matador,” getting clobbered at The White House and then claiming shenanigans in regard to Gaethje’s gloves or wraps or whatever he is suggesting doesn’t feel like the best way to get yourself a second meeting with the American mauler.

Additionally, it’s not like Topuria was a long-reigning champion who would get a rematch based on tenure; he won the belt last July in Las Vegas and the fight with Gaethje was his first title defense.

All that being said, Tsarukyan doesn’t exactly do himself any favors outside of the Octagon when it comes to making his case for being someone you can readily trust in the position of title challenger, as he was forced out at the 11th hour the first time he was supposed to challenge for UFC gold, headbutted Dan Hooker at ceremonial weigh-ins last November, and always seems on the brink of getting into a giant melee wherever he goes ... and has gotten into some as well.

MORE: Hear What Arman Had To Say To Media After Crypto.com UFC 331

But from a purely meritocratic position, six consecutive wins in the UFC lightweight division and an 11-1 record over his last dozen outings is all the evidence you need to recognize that Tsarukyan has done enough to merit a championship opportunity.

There Are No Guarantees

For the entirety of my career writing about this sport, I’ve always been someone that has loved prospects but wanted to see them prove themselves before we start talking about their championship potential and all the great things they’re going to do inside the Octagon because 18 years watching fights professionally has taught me that winning at this level is difficult, even if everyone and their mother believes you’re destined for big things.

That was proven for the umpteenth time on Saturday when Sean Sharaf slept Gable Steveson with a clean left hook just 12 seconds into their main card showdown in Los Angeles. It wasn’t some brilliantly placed shot or crazy strike that caught him out; it was a great counter to a rushed and overextended strike by Steveson and the kind of blow that is putting most people down.

WATCH: Sean Sharaf Post-Fight Interview | Crypto.com UFC 331

We’re in a weird place when it comes to uber-prospects in the sport right now because no one wants to see these competitors methodically build their way to the UFC on the regional circuit, but there is no substitute for experience and, once you reach the Octagon, all bets are off. You can be a massive favorite and expected to win, but in most cases, the person standing opposite you has the ability to ruin your night, and if you don’t take them seriously or have the experience to know how to navigate these moments, you can easily end up staring at the lights, wondering how things went so terribly wrong.

Quick Hitters

Patricio Pitbull looked like a different fighter on Saturday night than the one we had seen through his first three UFC appearances, as he came forward with urgency and aggression, taking the fight to Dooho Choi and dispatching “The Korean Superboy” in the opening round. His absolute peak years are behind him, but this version of Pitbull can still be a serious threat and dangerous addition to the featherweight ranks.

Alonzo Menifield fighting with a compound fracture of his thumb is utterly ridiculous to me in every way possible. First, his willingness to just soldier on for two more rounds despite that kind of injury shows incredible mental fortitude and pain tolerance, but secondly, what are we doing? How was this not stopped?

POST-FIGHT INTERVIEWS: Pitbull | Menifield | Vera

I thought the referee, doctors and cornermen are supposed to be protecting the fighters, often from themselves? Everyone involved here looked at his mangled thumb and said, “We’re good; let’s keep going.” This felt like a mistake to me, not because I had any kind of investment in the outcome, but because where is the line and what do you do if things get worse?

Seeing the emotion come flooding out of Marlon Vera following his third-round stoppage win over Charles Jourdain was a reminder of the humanity of this sport. It had been three years since “Chito” won a fight, and you could see how much that was weighing on him as he fell to his knees and was overcome following the stoppage.

Ryan Gandra is indeed becoming a problem in the middleweight division, as he collected his third straight first-round stoppage win on Saturday. But for the second straight fight, he called out Israel Adesanya, and honestly, I wish someone gave him a better suggestion because that is a low-upside fight that carries a lot of risk, and there are better options out there you could land. Still, when he decides to go, watch out.

Casey O’Neill continued to remind everyone that she’s someone to keep tabs on in the flyweight division once again with a brilliant first-round submission win over Eduarda Moura. The Scots-Aussie was a rising star before a knee injury sidelined her for a year and a couple of losses knocked her backward, but she’s earned two finishes this year, three straight wins, and is still only just turning 29 in a couple of weeks. Loved the Maycee Barber callout too.

POST-FIGHT INTERVIEWS: Gandra | O'Neill | Brito

Joanderson Brito continues to be one of those competitors I just can’t get a handle on because for every blistering effort he turns in like he did on Saturday, sending Giga Chikadze to The Shadow Realm with heavy punches from top position, I recall his debut loss to Bill Algeo and tepid outings opposite William Gomis and Pat Sabatini. If the guys we’ve seen this year stick around, “Tubarao” could be a dark horse to back in the division in 2027.

One Last Thing