The UFC hosted a pre-fight press conference for UFC 331 on Thursday, bringing with it the main card of Saturday’s L.A.-based event.
This Saturday in Los Angeles, current UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van runs it back with Alexandre Pantoja, the man from whom he claimed gold last year. That fight ended prematurely, with Pantoja going down due to an arm injury. And so, while Van has since defended his belt (opposite Japanese contender Tatsuro Taira), there’s still unfinished business between the champ and “The Cannibal.”
Arman Tsarukyan faces Mauricio Ruffy in the night’s co-main event, in what many see as a title eliminator. That said, the likes of the returning Ilia Topuria and free agent Usman Nurmagomedov may also play into the title picture.
Brazil’s Ruffy has won two straight, and is coming off a high-profile victory over Michael Chandler at the White House as part of UFC Freedom 250 back in June.
Also on the main card (and recently promoted there), heavyweight Gable Steveson. The former Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling has seen his fight with Sean Sharaf turn a bit nasty, after Sharaf called him a rapist in relation to sexual assault charges lodged against him in his college days, which were ultimately dropped.
Watch the full UFC 331 pre-fight press conference above. The presser kicks off at 8PM ET, 5PM PT.