Highlighting a historic stunner on the main card, heavyweight competitor Sean Sharaf rendered decorated prospect Gable Steveson unconscious in a mere 12 seconds. Equally dramatic was the co-headline bout, where Arman Tsarukyan secured arguably his most significant career triumph by putting power-puncher Mauricio Ruffy to sleep using a first-round elbow strike. That stoppage almost certainly establishes Tsarukyan as the primary challenger to face current UFC lightweight kingpin Justin Gaethje.
The featured showdown at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Saturday night saw Joshua Van silence any skeptics regarding his championship reign. Van successfully retained the UFC men’s flyweight crown against former titleholder Alexandre Pantoja, earning the nod from all three judges. With this decisive triumph at UFC 331, the sitting monarch recorded his second successful belt defense.
Outlanding his opponent throughout the contest, the champion neutralized over ten grappling attempts and even floored Pantoja during the fifth frame. Pantoja nonetheless mounted a competitive effort, holding his ground during striking exchanges and accumulating nearly 10 minutes of top control. The ex-champion enjoyed his strongest moments in the first and fourth periods after successfully grounding the action. However, Van’s overall output ultimately convinced the scoring officials to favor him when the final bell sounded.
Leave a Reply