UFC's return to Los Angeles promises an action-packed adventure. The promotion has assembled knockout artists, gritty veterans and rising stars for UFC 331. Saturday's main event embodies it.
Young, brash action fighter Joshua Van defends the flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja, the battle-tested veteran whom he won the title from last year. Those Hollywood themes repeat through the card. Arman Tsarukyan is UFC 331's resident A-lister, looking to assert himself as a box office attraction.
Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson is the rising star, taking another step in his development under the tutelage of the legendary Jon Jones. Mauricio Ruffy and "The Korean Superboy" Dooho Choi are thrilling martial artists who rarely disappoint. red event and UFC Fight Night is included with your subscription! Plans start as low as $8.99/month or $89.99/year!
As UFC returns to the City of Angels, take a look at three undercard fights you can't miss this weekend. This is the people's main event. Tsarukyan is unequivocally the biggest star on the card, returning to the site of his career's most pivotal moment.
Pulling out of his scheduled lightweight title fight at UFC 311 against Islam Makhachev sullied his reputation with the promotion and forced him to double down on growing his brand. Tsarukyan is fighting further from the title than expected, but he's a much bigger star. It's never clear how close Tsarukyan actually is to another title shot, but the No. 2-ranked lightweight believes his championship aspirations are finished if he loses Saturday.
That's a huge risk against Ruffy (No. 7). The Brazilian KO machine reinvented himself under featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski after Benoit Saint Denis dominated him with wrestling last year. Ruffy's coaches rave about his improved defensive grappling, but Tsarukyan is another beast entirely.
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