Rainbet’s Newest Partner Joshua Van Returns to the Octagon-Who Do You Have Winning?

Joshua Van has a lot going on for himself. On December 6, 2025, he became UFC Flyweight Champion after defeating the reigning champ, Alexandre Pantoja. At only 24 years of age, he has become the second-youngest champion behind only Jon Jones. He’s also the first-ever champ born after the year 2000. While he was an underdog against Pantoja and won after a fluke injury to the Brazilian fighter, The Fearless showed in his consecutive bout that he has the clout of a champion. 

So far, Van has had one title defence, and it was a win against Tatsuro Taira, after defeating the Japanese fighter by 5th-round TKO. After a title win and a title defence, business opportunities have started to pop up for the Burmese/American fighter. He is one of the faces of the sports betting company, Rainbet, for whom he has already released one promo video, with a clear message: I always bet on myself, and now, I bet on Rainbet. 

Talking about betting and odds for MMA and UFC fights, we must speak about Joshua Van’s upcoming bout. Many of the premium UFC champions pick their fights and take long breaks from the octagon, looking for as long a title reign. Van is not one of those fighters. Instead, he was more active than anyone expected. After securing a title in December, he fought once more in May of this year, and now he is scheduled for yet another title defence. 

UFC 331 is going to be one to remember, as Joshua Van is giving a rematch to Alexandre Pantoja. The two fighters are not too fond of each other, as much was seen during the latest UFC 311 press conference. From the moment the rematch was announced, the heat was elevated, and in accordance with the hot summer we’re having, the upcoming flyweight bout at UFC 331 is going to be fire. 

Van is entering this bout after defending his title some four months ago, while this is going to be Pantoja’s first fight since losing to Van and suffering one of the rare injuries in his career. Pantoja remains adamant that he would have won their previous bout if he didn’t suffer a freak injury and has no doubts that the title in the flyweight division will be his once more. Both fans and pundits are asking the same question regarding Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja: Who Will Win? UFC Predictions say that there’s no clear-cut favourite. Odds on Van’s win stand at 1.82, while a bet on Pantoja is paid at 1.93 odds. 

The odds were similar for their first bout, and truly the question lingers whether Pantoja would lose if he remained uninjured. After all, he did suffer a grave elbow injury after only 26 seconds of the bout. Before meeting Van, Pantoja defended the flyweight title four times, managing to best the likes of Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura, and Kai Kara-France. While Pantoja was an exceptional champion, father time waits for no one, and the question remains how he will look after taking more than half a year’s break. Yes, he can win this bout, but things will be much different than they were in December. 

Freak injuries happen, and nothing should be taken from Joshua Van’s victory. After all, he went out against a champion, and nonetheless, one who was coming into the bout on the back of three title defences, each one being more impressive than the other. Until UFC 323, the Cannibal was seen as an unstoppable force in the flyweight division. Yet, the same could be said for Joshua Van, who was a contender who earned his right after racking up 5 consecutive wins. Today, he has seven in a row, and he is the one who looks unstoppable. 

When these two meet once again, it will be a true matchup of styles, as one is a volume striker and a knockout machine, while the other fighter is a submission master. While predominantly a striker, Van has proven that he can play for five rounds and win in the process, as well as knocking people out early on. One thing remains clear, and that is that Pantoja is going to go aggressively from the start. He wants that belt back, and he will go all out. 

This might be the opportunity Van is looking for, as he has been steadily improving on his grappling, and during the press tour he seemed eager to show this to the world. Van is confident that he is going to be able to submit Pantoja the same way the Brazilian was able to submit many of his previous opponents. Both men have been going at each other and have created a great atmosphere for what awaits us on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. 

When asked about the ending of their first bout, Van said: “Had that not happened, I would have still whooped his ass that day. So September 19, it’s just another opportunity for me to whoop his ass again.” Pantoja was also confident in his response, stating: “Hey kid, September 19, you’re gonna be locked in the octagon with me. Nothing about Joshua surprises me. He tries to make this character, tries to be the tough guy, but what I see, he’s just a fraidy cat. He’s afraid.”

Van and Pantoja are eager to take this conversation into the octagon, and this is what fans are looking for. The biggest stage is reserved for bouts such as this, and with the title on the line and two massive champions in the sport fighting for it, a spectacle is almost guaranteed. The rest of the card also promises a night to remember, as we have bouts such as Arman Tsarukyan vs. Maurício Ruffy, Patrício Pitbull vs. Choi Doo-ho, Renato Moicano vs. Brian Ortega, and Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski scheduled.