UFC 331 Odds and Predictions – Van vs. Pantoja for the Flyweight Belt!

• Joshua Van (-138)
• Alexandre Pantoja (+117)

Van (17-2) took the flyweight belt from Pantoja (30-6), who suffered an arm injury 26 seconds into their first meeting in December 2025. Van then came out on top in a firefight against Tatsuro Taira, beating him by TKO in the fifth round of an incredible match.

I knew the champ could hold his own in the striking department, but he also stuffed many takedown attempts by Taira, although the challenger did manage eight of them. Van got back to his feet after most of them.

Pantoja’s advantage comes on the mat, where he has 12 submission wins. He hasn’t scored a knockout win since December 2019. It’ll also be interesting to see if Pantoja’s cardio has suffered from the layoff as Van proved he could go four-plus hard rounds against an elite fighter in Taira.

If Pantoja gets his back, Van has a problem, but I think his takedown defense is good enough to hold him off for most of the match. If he can keep this fight standing up, he’ll retain the belt. That’s my pick for right now and at -138, I’m happy to take Van’s moneyline odds in my UFC 331 picks. However, there is more value in the Method of Victory prop, where you can find Van by Decision or Technical Decision at +350. I do think this goes the distance, and Van comes out on top in a back-and-forth tilt.

• Arman Tsarukyan (-325)
• Mauricio Ruffy (+260)

This is a true wrestler vs. striker matchup as Tsarukyan (23-3) is one of the best wrestlers in all of MMA. Ruffy (16-2) is a dangerous striker who has won 13 times by knockout.

Tsarukyan’s plan is simple: use his striking to get close enough to his opponent, to then use his chain wrestling to drag him to the mat. But that can be tricky against Ruffy, who has a lot of power in his strikes.

There is also a concern of the level of opponent Ruffy has faced as he was submitted by Benoit St. Denis in September 2025 in Paris. The Brazilian stuffed seven of BSD’s ten takedown attempts. But when he did get taken down, BSD was in total control and eventually locked in a face crack. I think Tsarukyan is a much better wrestler than BSD.

At -310, you could take these UFC 331 odds. But I waited for Tsarukyan by submission props to come out, and that prop is priced at +225. If Ruffy can’t end this in the first round, with Tsarukyan’s wrestling and cardio advantages, I’m leaning towards the Armenian-Russian fighter to make his opponent tap.

• Doo Ho Choi (-270)
• Patricio Pitbull (+220)

Choi (22-4-1) is starting to roll, winning three straight by TKO after a four-match stretch where he lost twice by TKO, and one was a majority draw in which he was docked a point. The “Korean Superboy” has 14 wins by knockout, and he fights at an outlandish pace.

His opponent, Pitbull (37-9) is a good counterpuncher, but he has lost four of his last six fights. He got off to a good start against Aaron Pico, but couldn’t keep up with his opponent’s power.

Devastating left hook from Doo Ho Choi 😤 #UFCVegas94 pic.twitter.com/H9q31cpqAc

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 21, 2024

I would like to point out that Choi has a 4.5-inch reach advantage over Pitbull, which means he can use that edge to keep his opponent at bay. Pitbull’s best chance to try to get this fight to the mat, and he has to use his experience to frustrate Choi, Also, Choi will take a punch to give one, so there is the chance that Pitbull can catch him.

I would lean towards Choi at -260 for my UFC 331 predictions for this match if you want to stick to the moneyline. But I’ll take Choi by Decision or Technical Decision by +215. The reach and athleticism advantages will be too much for the savvy Pitbull to overcome.