UFC 331 Stars Arman Tsarukyan and Joshua Van Gets New Custom Shorts After Rising in Popularity

UFC 331 will feature the promotion’s return to Los Angeles, California for the first time since 2018. Flyweight champion Joshua Van will rematch Alexandre Pantoja after their first fight ended with the Brazilian’s injury. Meanwhile, Arman Tsarukyan vs Mauricio Ruffy is the co-main event bout.

Van recently finished Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 to clear any doubts about his status as the champion. He wants to clear all doubts about his championship reign starting with Pantoja’s untimely injury at UFC 324. Meanwhile, Tsarukyan vs Ruffy will determine who will go further in the lightweight title picture.

Ahead of UFC 331, the promotion released two custom gears like they have done for the last couple of years under the Venum fight kit deal. Tsarukyan got an Armenian Batman-themed gear, whereas Van got a Myanmar-based custom shorts.

Arman Tsarukyan explains the design behind his custom shorts:

“Here’s the Russian bear, this is Armenian mountains, the Batman logo. This is beautiful custom shorts.” #UFC331 pic.twitter.com/8TfjAf1FP8 https://t.co/eaUXr1DHjJ

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 15, 2026

Custom shorts are only given to athletes with immense popularity before a numbered event or a high-profile fight night event. Tsarukyan and Van receiving them for UFC 331 suggests that the promotion sees them as popular stars.

Recently, Tsarukyan spoke about the tough road ahead of him should he lose against Ruffy at UFC 331. As such, there is immense pressure on the Armenian contender to deliver this weekend and become undeniable for a future lightweight title shot.

On the other hand, Van has come a long way in his short MMA career. He started his MMA career in 2021, and became the champion in 2025. At 24 years of age, the flyweight champion could rule the division for years. However, he will have to defeat Pantoja convincingly this time.

Joshua Van teases submission victory at UFC 331

The Myanmar-born fighter is primarily a striker. Striking alone cannot get anyone far in the UFC. As such, Joshua Van has honed his skillset and showed a major improvement when he fought Taira at UFC 328.

Alexandre Pantoja is a skilled grappler in the flyweight division. Experts believe Van needs to keep the fight standing in order to secure victory. However, the flyweight champion has a surprise in store for the fans as he has continuously worked on his grappling game.

We work on defending that position but maybe I’ll be the one that gets him in the rear naked choke. I showed with Taira I’m not scared of the ground, I’ll look for a sub if it’s there.

Joshua Van told Full Send MMA

Joshua Van says don’t be surprised if he potentially goes out and submits Alexandre Pantoja

“We work on defending that position but maybe I’ll be the one that gets him in the rear naked choke. I showed with Taira I’m not scared of the ground, I’ll look for a sub if it’s there” pic.twitter.com/zr35q6UduT

— FULL SEND MMA (@full_send_mma) September 15, 2026

Some fans have called Van’s first win over Pantoja as a fluke. However, Van doesn’t see it that way. He is full of confidence ahead of UFC 331 to silence all doubters. It remains to be seen if the second youngest champion in UFC history can prevail against the former champion.

Michael Chandler predicts Arman Tsarukyan vs Mauricio Ruffy

Mauricio Ruffy is coming off two TKO victories in 2026 ahead of the Arman Tsarukyan showdown. First, he defeated Rafael Fiziev and then destroyed Michael Chandler at UFC Freedom 250. Ruffy also warned Tsarukyan ahead of their fight, but the Armenian star remains confident of victory.

This is a classic ‘Striker vs Wrestler’ bout where the one who controls the fight emerges as the winner. With that, Chandler predicted that Tsarukyan would definitely hunt for the takedowns. However, he felt that many fans were underestimating the Brazilian rising star.

Ruffy’s got some momentum on his side and Arman’s got some ring rust. I think Ruffy catches him with a couple of big shots. Arman is obviously going to go for the takedown because he’s not going to stand with Ruffy. Ruffy is good, and I think he’s better than a lot of people think he is. So, I’ve got Ruffy in that one.

Michael Chandler told Ariel Helwani

Michael Chandler believes Mauricio Ruffy beats Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 331:

“Ruffy’s got some momentum on his side and Arman’s got some ring rust.”

I think Ruffy catches him with a couple of big shots. Arman is obviously going to go for the takedown because he’s not going to… pic.twitter.com/zOOfPIuKpK

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 14, 2026

Tsarukyan has long wanted to compete for the lightweight title, but the UFC brass doesn’t trust him all that much due to his controversial nature.

Defeating Ruffy in the co-main event spot can be a step in the right direction. As such, UFC 331 becomes a must-win scenario for the Armenian star.

Also Read:

• Justin Gaethje Brings Up ‘Weight Miss’ Conspiracy Theory About Arman Tsarukyan Ahead of UFC 331
• Paddy Pimblett Reveals Why He Has Respect for Ilia Topuria But Not Arman Tsarukyan