MMA Weekly Roundup — September 21, 2026: Van Survives Pantoja, Aspinall Vacates
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MMA Weekly Roundup · Monday, September 21, 2026
A week that started with a champion giving up his belt ended with a champion nearly losing his — and with one of the biggest upsets in UFC history squeezed in between. Here is everything that mattered.
Joshua Van survives Pantoja in a Fight of the Year candidate
Flyweight champion Joshua Van retained his title at Crypto.com UFC 331 in Los Angeles on Saturday, edging Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 50-45) in a rematch that delivered everything the first fight did not. Pantoja came out of the gate on fire, hurt Van early and controlled the fourth round from top position, but the 24-year-old champion boxed his way back into the fight, dominated the fifth and dropped the former titleholder late to seal it. It was Van's second consecutive successful defense.
The pair took home Fight of the Night honors. Full recaps are on the UFC 331 main card results page.
Sean Sharaf stuns Gable Steveson in 12 seconds
The night's defining moment came earlier. Sean Sharaf, a 32-year-old Santa Ana native and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, walked to the center of the Octagon, absorbed a low kick, and landed a left hand that flattened Gable Steveson at 0:12 of round one. It was the first UFC win of Sharaf's career and the first professional loss for the previously unbeaten Olympic gold medalist — one of the largest upsets the promotion has seen. Sharaf collected a special event bonus for it.
Tsarukyan makes his case, Pitbull finds his form
Arman Tsarukyan removed any doubt about the lightweight pecking order, knocking out Mauricio Ruffy with a pair of clean elbows from the clinch at 4:56 of round one. That is six straight wins for the Armenian, four of the last five inside the distance, and a Performance of the Night bonus to go with it.
Patricio Pitbull turned in his best UFC showing yet, starching Dooho Choi at 3:28 of the opening round to move to 2-2 in the promotion. The 38-year-old former Bellator kingpin called for a fight with Jean Silva next. Alonzo Menifield opened the main card by outworking unbeaten Polish prospect Iwo Baraniewski by split decision — while fighting through a compound fracture of his left thumb.
Prelim notes: Chito returns, Tuivasa's skid grows
Marlon "Chito" Vera snapped a four-fight losing streak with a third-round TKO of Charles Jourdain, his first win in over three years. Casey O'Neill produced an instant Submission of the Year contender, escaping a tight choke before elevating Eduarda Moura into the air and catching a belly-down armbar at 3:20 of round one — good for Performance of the Night and her third straight win.
Robelis Despaigne edged Tai Tuivasa by split decision, handing the popular Australian an eighth consecutive loss. Joanderson Brito, Ryan Gandra and Edmen Shahbazyan also won, Gandra with his third first-round finish in three starts this year. The full slate is in the prelim recap, and the bonus report notes the card drew 19,357 fans and $8,228,105 — the highest-grossing event in Crypto.com Arena history.
Tom Aspinall vacates the heavyweight title
Last Monday, Tom Aspinall announced he was giving up the undisputed heavyweight championship. The 33-year-old has not competed since October 2025, when his bout with Ciryl Gane was ruled a no-contest after a double eye poke, and he said he reinjured his right eye in training while preparing for the rematch. "I don't want to hold the heavyweight division up," Aspinall said in his statement, adding that he wants other fighters to have their shot while he works toward medical clearance. Bloody Elbow has the details.
Two titles on the line at Madison Square Garden
The UFC used the UFC 331 broadcast to announce its November 14 card at Madison Square Garden. Ciryl Gane, elevated to undisputed heavyweight champion after Aspinall's decision, defends against Josh Hokit — a brash 28-year-old who has won four times since November 2025 and banked four performance bonuses along the way. In the co-main, bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison makes her first defense against Amanda Nunes, a matchup years in the making and Nunes' first fight in more than three years. Details are on UFC.com.
Looking ahead: this coming week
The Octagon returns Saturday, September 26 with UFC Fight Night: Rosas Jr. vs. Barcelos at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Raul Rosas Jr. meets Raoni Barcelos in the bantamweight headliner, Rinya Nakamura faces Brady Hiestand, and both The Ultimate Fighter finals — bantamweight and women's strawweight — are scheduled for the card. Dana White's Contender Series also continues this week at the Apex.