Joshua Van Moves Up Pound-for-Pound Rankings After UFC 331 Title Defense
The short version
- Joshua Van moved from No. 5 to No. 4 in the MMA Junkie pound-for-pound rankings
- Van defended the UFC flyweight title with a unanimous decision over Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331
- Arman Tsarukyan knocked out Mauricio Ruffy in the first round and rose to No. 2 at lightweight
- Tsarukyan passed former champion Ilia Topuria in the rankings
The flyweight champion rose to No. 4 in the latest MMA Junkie rankings following his decision win over Alexandre Pantoja in Los Angeles.
Joshua Van's successful flyweight title defense at UFC 331 lifted him one spot in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie pound-for-pound rankings, from No. 5 to No. 4, moving past Alex Pereira.
Van retained the UFC flyweight championship in Saturday's main event at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, beating Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision after five rounds of striking. The victory settled questions left from their first meeting last December, when Van took the belt via injury stoppage.
In the co-main event, Arman Tsarukyan strengthened his case for a lightweight title shot by knocking out Mauricio Ruffy with a first-round elbow. Tsarukyan rose from No. 3 to No. 2 at 155 pounds, overtaking former champion Ilia Topuria.