The UFC 331 card will feature twelve bouts, all of which will be previewed in this post. The card will be headlined by a bout for the flyweight championship between champion Joshua Van (pictured far left) and former champion Alexandre Pantoja (pictured far right). The co-main event is a lightweight title eliminator between Arman Tsarukyan (pictured center left) and Mauricio Ruffy (pictured center right).
A fighter’s CC win probabilities are based off of a fighter’s Cage Calculus (CC) Rating and their place in the CC Rankings. A fighter’s CageCalc+ Score is determined by a variety of factors and is specific to each matchup. The CageCalc+ projection is an estimated win probability based on this statistic. Each fighter’s new CC Ratings after their bouts will be determined by the first CC win probability only.
Also featured below their record and rating is their divisional rankings in the CC Rankings and the official UFC Rankings. Both their media ranking and Meta AI ranking are displayed. Any fighter falling outside of the top 15 of their respective division is classified as NR (not ranked).
Also displayed to the right of their rankings is a fighter’s CCz Score. A positive CCz Score indicates a fighter is above average for their weight class. A negative one indicates they are below average. The higher the number is, the farther away from average a fighter is (in either direction). CCz Scores typically range from as high as positive 4, to as low as negative 2.5.
The fighter’s name highlighted in green at the bottom of the panel indicates the editor’s pick to win. The numbers above each fighter’s name indicates their posted odds to win on FanDuel Sportsbook as of the posting of these previews.
Without further ado, here is the Cage Calculus tale of the tape for this week’s fights!
UFC 331 (Van vs. Pantoja 2) Previews – September 19, 2026
Giga Chikadze vs. Joanderson Brito
EDITOR’S NOTE: Skillwise, Chikadze is the better man, but it seems like time and the division has passed him by. Brito has momentum and youth on his side.
Casey O’Neill vs. Eduarda Moura
EDITOR’S NOTE: After coming back from a tough injury, O’Neill is starting to look like her former self again, which was close to a title contender in the making. Despite the wealth of experience in the octagon, she’s only 28. Moura needs to press for a takedown, but it won’t be anything O’Neill hasn’t seen before.
Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Brunno Ferreira
EDITOR’S NOTE: This has KO written all over it. Both men are feast or famine. Given Shahbazyan has shown to be a little more chinny in his career and Ferreira will carry a small reach advantage, this fight seems to favor the underdog.
Ryan Gandra vs. Ozzy Diaz
EDITOR’S NOTE: Gandra by KO. That is all there is to say.
Michael Aswell Jr. vs. Joo Sang Yoo
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an interesting stylistic matchup. Yoo carries more ways to win ultimately. That’s why he’s the favorite. He ought to be.
Tai Tuivasa vs. Robelis Despaigne
EDITOR’S NOTE: Tuivasa is being a little overlooked here. He has faced top tier competition and has only gotten in trouble against guys who are wrestling threats. Despaigne presents no such threat. This will be a striking battle for as long as it lasts. Despaigne is a much longer, more precise striker. If Tuivasa wants to avoid his eighth straight loss, he needs to make it ugly early. Deapaigne’s power is too scary to pick against him in a fight like this though.
Charles Jourdain vs. Marlon Vera (Featured Prelim)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Vera has a nasty habit of waiting too long to get active with his striking. He’s good enough to be able to find his rhythm, but it’s gotten him in trouble when he can’t get a round back. Jourdain is good enough to make him pay for waiting and make him pay if he rushes. Jourdain by decision seems to be how this will go down.
Iwo Baraniewski vs. Alonzo Menifield
EDITOR’S NOTE: This one will end early. This is a step up in competition for Baraniewski, but his power is starting to become the stuff of legends in this division. Menifield is a worthwhile gatekeeper, but has also shown to be reckless enough to get caught. That will be a poor strategy against a guy like this.
Gable Steveson vs. Sean Sharaf
EDITOR’S NOTE: Sharaf has done well to throw Steveson off with the trash talk this week. That said, this is another bout very much made for a KO win for the favorite.
Patricio Pitbull vs. Doo Ho Choi
EDITOR’S NOTE: Pitbull has the same issue Marlon Vera does. He waits too long to get it going. That was fine when he was Bellator champ fighting five round fights. Now, he’s fighting in three-rounders and falls behind early. Doo Ho Choi, likewise, is a guy who will make fighters like that pay.
Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy (Co-Main Event)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Tsarukyan’s wrestling prowess will prevent Ruffy from being able to unleash his full striking arsenal. That will be problematic for a guy who relies so heavily on his standup game.
Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja (Title Fight Main Event)
EDITOR’S NOTE: BACK UP THE TRUCK! This betting line disregards that Pantoja was the favorite the first time they fought, before a freak elbow injury ended the bout. Pantoja is as versatile and skilled a guy as we’ve seen. People forgot really quickly in his absence. He can expose the vulnerabilities in Van’s game and use his submission game to nullify Van’s boxing. Expect to hear “And New” at the end of the night.
Picture Credit: UFC
