UFC 331 Van vs Pantoja 2: Betting tips and predictions

By Deniss Novickis | Published: September 17, 12:45

After a series of low-profile UFC events, we finally have a decent one! Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja headline the tournament in Los Angeles, California, but there are other big names on the card. Arman Tsarukyan returns to the octagon after 10 months of absence to face an elite striker in Maurício Ruffy in the co-main event, hoping to earn his title shot.

In this article, we will provide UFC 331 betting predictions and tips ahead of the show at the Crypto.com Arena. We'll try to forecast each bout to find the most valuable betting spots and advise on which fights to avoid in terms of betting to just enjoy the show.

Other notable names on the UFC 331 main card are ex-Bellator champion Patrício Pitbull and Olympic champion Gable Steveson. The prelims should be fun as well, as Tai Tuivasa, Brunno Ferreira, and Joanderson Brito will all enter the cage this Saturday. Here’s the full schedule for the event in Los Angeles:

Main card

• Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja
• Arman Tsarukyan vs. Maurício Ruffy
• Patrício Pitbull vs. Choi Doo-Ho
• Gable Steveson vs. Seah Sharaf
• Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski

Preliminaries

• Marlon Vera vs. Charles Jourdain
• Tai Tuivasa vs. Robelis Despaigne

• Michael Aswell Jr. vs. Yoo Joo-Sang
• Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Brunno Ferreira
• Ryan Gandra vs. Osman Diaz
• Casey O’Neill vs. Eduarda Moura
• Giga Chikadze vs. Joanderson Brito

Read our UFC betting tips, as we begin with the main event and talk about every single fight on the card all the way to the early prelims, starting at 23:00 CET. One key point to focus on: long-term betting success comes from discipline and selectivity. Instead of betting on every fight, it’s better to target only those with the strongest value.

Main event: Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja prediction

A great main event, which is not that common nowadays, as we have a rematch for the flyweight title. A year ago, Joshua Van claimed the belt after 26 seconds when Alexandre Pantoja suffered an awful arm injury. Van managed to defend his title in May when he knocked out a great fighter in Tatsuro Taira. There's real bad blood between the contenders, which only adds to the excitement.

Van is a much better boxer, and he is also 12 years younger than his opponent. However, Taira managed to get Van down numerous times, and I'm sure that Pantoja will do the same. If this fight goes to the fourth and fifth rounds, the defending champion has every chance of keeping his belt. I just have a feeling that Pantoja will be able to use his elite jiu-jitsu and reclaim the title, finding a submission in the first half of the fight. The Brazilian is an underdog at 2.10, but I'm gonna risk it here, opting for his victory by SUB at 3.70.

Prediction: Pantoja by a rear-naked choke in round 2. And new!

Co-main event: Arman Tsarukyan vs. Maurício Ruffy prediction

Being highly inactive in the last two and a half years, Arman Tsarukyan improved his media personality big time. He should definitely earn a title shot with a victory here, yet we can't underestimate his opponent. Maurício Ruffy is an elite striker, and he has the tools to put Tsarukyan away with another highlight-reel knockout.

However, if you look at Ruffy's sole UFC loss, it came against another elite grappler, Benoît Saint Denis. While the Brazilian is excellent on the feet, his ground game is far from ideal. He definitely has a chance of an early KO stoppage, but the longer this fight goes, the bigger the chance Tsarukyan will find a finish himself. The value here is definitely on Ruffy via KO at 5.00, as betting Tsarukyan at 1.31 is way too risky. I will still pick his side, but it's a clear pass from me - this should be an enjoyable fight without a bet.

Prediction: Tsarukyan by a third-round submission. Our first pass of the card.

Featured fight: Patrício Pitbull vs. Choi Doo-Ho prediction

When Patrício Freire was signed to the UFC, many expected big things from the former Bellator champion. However, he is 1-2 in the promotion, with a very uneventful fight against Dan Ige being his only victory. Moreover, you could see that time is taking over the 39-year-old Pitbull slowly but surely. He will lose his ranking spot after Saturday.

Choi Doo-Hoo is only four years younger, but the speed advantage here will be huge. He has real power in his hands, and a 3-inch reach advantage should help him use it to get his hand raised. Pitbull will try to keep the fight on the mat, yet the Korean athlete has great takedown defence, and his get-up game is pretty solid as well. Choi Doo-Hoo to win at 1.37 looks a decent parlay piece, yet I believe his knockout win at 2.50 is a much better play. The bookmakers see it as the most likely outcome of the fight as well.

Prediction: Choi Doo-Hoo finds a KO/TKO in the second round.

Gable Steveson vs. Seah Sharaf prediction

The Olympic freestyle wrestling champion Gable Steveson, coached by Jon Jones, is the man UFC would love to make one of their biggest stars. That’s the exact reason why he gets to fight the second can in a row in Sean Sharaf. The latter is simply a blob who lost both of his fights in the promotion by knockout in the second round.

I just can’t see any other outcome in this bout as well. While Steveson has a clear path to victory via his wrestling, he has another great chance to make a statement. That’s why I see him trying to knock Sharaf out in the first round. If his knees and punches won’t land for some reason, ground & pound will come into play. The only question here is whether Sharaf can survive until round number 2, but that is highly unlikely for my money.

Prediction: Steveson by knockout in round 1.

Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski prediction

Iwo Baraniewski took the UFC by storm: three fights, three knockouts in the very first round. In fact, in nine professional MMA fights, he has never reached even the fourth minute. While judo is his background, the Pole is yet to showcase his tools there - he just goes forward and earns a win by devastating punches.

Alonzo Menifield is ranked 14th in the light heavyweight division, but we all know his level is not the highest one. Menifield won in China in May, being a huge underdog, but all decent strikers have managed to knock him out. The American fighter has 4 KO/TKO losses, and his chin is not trustworthy whatsoever. While Baraniewski will be punished for his fighting style at some point, he shouldn't have too many problems in Los Angeles.

Marlon Vera vs. Charles Jourdain prediction

While Marlon Vera is only 33 years of age, his career is almost over. On a 4-fight losing streak, it looks like the Ecuadorian is already ok with being defeated time after time. He was never finished before, but he has always found a way to lose recently, be it by unanimous or split decision. It's just that he has to do more in each round, and he somehow doesn't.

On the other hand, Charles Jourdain is three years younger, and he is the hungrier fighter of these two. Jourdain won his last three fights, two of them by submission, earning three bonuses in the process. He will be bigger and stronger here, and while Vera is likely the more technical fighter, it's the will to win that will count. Jourdain by decision at 1.83 is the play for me, and if you're looking for another parlay piece, fight to go the distance at 1.47 looks destined for success.

Prediction: Jourdain wins a 29-28 decision.

Tai Tuivasa vs. Robelis Despaigne prediction

The only heavyweight bout on the card is somewhat crazy. We recently had Michael Page cut from the roster with a 5-1 record in the UFC, although we all know the reason behind that decision is his extremely spectacular style. Meanwhile, Tai Tuivasa is on a 7-fight losing streak, and we can't really imagine what else he should do to be released. He is simply an overweight man with one-shot power and no cardio.

Robelis Despaigne was cut from the UFC almost two years ago, yet he has earned a second chance. The Olympic taekwondo silver medalist in London 2012 will have a huge reach advantage, and his win by knockout is the only outcome possible. Tuivasa could've won via wrestling, but he does not possess the skill required.

Prediction: Despaigne by knockout in the first round.

Michael Aswell Jr. vs. Yoo Joo-Sang prediction

Now, this is a low-level featherweight fight, and I love betting against both of these athletes, to be perfectly honest. Having said that, it is a big surprise that Michael Aswell Jr. is such an underdog at 3.10. One thing to note about the Texas Kid: he is super durable and will never quit.

While Yoo Joo-Sang might look better early, I think that Aswell Jr. will take over at some point thanks to his pressure and volume. If you just have to bet on this fight, which you don't, it's surely the underdog. Pass is the play from my side, though, as I just don't enjoy risking hard-earned cash on these kinds of bouts.

Prediction: Aswell Jr. wins a split decision. It’s a pass.

Ryan Gandra vs. Osman Diaz prediction

Ozzy Diaz was knocked out in all three of his losses in the promotion (including the DWCS), earning a sole decision victory in the process. On the other hand, Ryan Gandra has won the previous four bouts in the first round by knockout. While the opposition was not great, all of them can be compared to Mr Diaz.

At this point, you surely know where I'm going. It will be a huge surprise if Diaz makes it out of the first round, as Gandra is a very good striker with vicious power, and he also has two submission victories in his record. Once again, only one outcome is on the cards, and Gandra winning in round 1 at 1.76 seems like the logical move.

Prediction: Gandra by first-round knockout.

Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Brunno Ferreira prediction

It seems that Edmen Shahbazyan has been fighting in the UFC for ages; however, he is just 28 years of age. While Shahbazyan has always been a 1-round man with big cardio problems, his most recent fight against Brendan Allen showed that he still has plenty of room for improvement. One thing to notice, though, is that he has always had issues with the fighters who relentlessly press forward.

That is exactly the style of Brunno Ferreira. On a 2-fight losing streak, the Brazilian has already been finished twice in the UFC, but his resume has excellent wins over Gregory Rodrigues and Marvin Vettori. There's no way Ferreira should be this big of an underdog, and with his vicious knockout power, he might even give Shahbazyan his fourth loss via KO/TKO.

Prediction: Ferreira knocks Shahbazyan out late on.

Casey O’Neill vs. Eduarda Moura prediction

If you have seen the stand-up game of Eduarda Moura, I'm pretty sure you'll never bet a penny on her. Her only path to victory here is trying to take Casey O'Neill down, but she won't find much success. The latter has very good takedown defence, as she is actually a very solid wrestler.

It will all be decided on the feet, and Moura has simply no chance of outstriking her opponent. The Brazilian is durable and has never been finished before, but I can't see any way of her winning, other than O'Neill suffering an unfortunate injury. O'Neill to win at 1.44 might go to your top parlay, and if you'd like to add some meat to the bone, opt for O'Neill by decision at 2.10.

Prediction: O’Neill wins a 30-27 decision.

Giga Chikadze vs. Joanderson Brito prediction

The early prelims start with Giga Chikadze returning to the cage after being brutally knocked out by Kevin Vallejos last December. While there should be enough time to recover, Chikadze is 38 years old and on a 3-fight losing streak. You might be tempted to bet on Giga at 4.20, but don't forget that styles make fights.

Joanderson Brito is a solid grappler, and Chikadze doesn't have any answers for that. The Brazilian will quickly put him on the mat and find a submission. Brito's win by SUB at 2.10 is a gift, although there's a chance he decides to strike. If so, it all might lead to his win by decision, but I suppose Brito is smart enough not to complicate matters.
Prediction: Brito by a first-round submission.

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