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Alexandre Pantoja and Joshua Van hope their fight Saturday at Crypto.com Arena will last longer than 26 seconds.

It has been nine months since their first bout, which ended in less than a minute because of a Pantoja injury and made Van the UFC flyweight champion. Pantoja aims to reclaim the belt he lost at UFC 331, with the main event beginning at 6 p.m. and streaming on Paramount+.

Pantoja dislocated his elbow when he fell while trying to defend against one of Van’s moves on Dec. 6 at UFC 323 in Las Vegas. The fight ended immediately.

Van celebrated winning the 125-pound title, but both fighters walked away from that night feeling everyone deserved more than the premature result.

Alexandre Pantoja holds his arm after losing his flyweight title fight on Dec. 6 in Las Vegas.

(Ian Maule / Getty Images)

Pantoja, of Brazil, has not competed since that night. He has spent most of the past nine months recovering from the injury, while Van successfully defended his title once against Tatsuro Taira in May, winning by stoppage in the final round.

“It’s been [nine] long months,” Pantoja said. “I’ve been working hard. And at a certain point, I think that after two years as champion, five title fights — almost six title fights — at a certain point it’s good to take some time off, enjoy my family, enjoy myself. But at the same time, I’m really hungry to win again.”

Pantoja said he returned to the gym two days after that first fight. Although the injury kept him out of the octagon, he didn’t want to stay away from training for too long because he said that would have made it harder to get back to fighting at the championship level.

During his time out of the octagon, he observed how the division changed.

“I see a lot of good fights. We’re seeing the top 10 change almost completely,” Pantoja said Wednesday. “I see incredible fights in the flyweight division. And I think this Saturday, with my fight against Joshua Van in the main event here in Los Angeles, is very special.”

Van, meanwhile, enters the rematch coming off a five-round championship bout.

“I’ve been working on my ground game, and you’ll see it,” said Van, who holds dual American and Myanmar citizenship. “I tried it in the fight against Taira, but I didn’t quite pull it off. But this time, you’ll see a different level from Joshua Van.”

The champion’s confidence remains undiminished, as he sees the rematch as an opportunity to put any debate surrounding that first fight in 2025 to rest and prove his place in the division.

“When I beat him, I’ll be one of the greats in this division, and then the next challenger will come and try to take the belt from me,” Van said.

Pantoja said Van has changed since December, highlighting the fight against Taira and noting the champion has refined aspects of his fighting style.

Joshua Van celebrates after defeating Alexandre Pantoja in a flyweight title bout during UFC 323 on Dec. 6 in Las Vegas.

(Ian Maule / Getty Images)

“I think Van definitely evolved a lot after our fight,” Pantoja said. “He had the fight against Tatsuro Taira; I think he evolved and corrected some mistakes he made in that fight. So I think it’s going to be completely different.”

Pantoja doesn’t consider himself the same fighter who will face Van.

“The drive is always the same,” Pantoja said. “I’ve had the same drive since I was a kid — I’ve always wanted to fight the best fighters in the world. The drive is the same; it’s just that I think I’m much more mature now.”

Pantoja said Van is a top-tier fighter, but he believes the injury prevented both of them from showing everything they were capable of.

“He’s an incredible fighter,” said Pantoja, 36. “When you watch Joshua Van fight, his expression never changes — he always tries to stay in control. And that proves just how good you are.”

Although Pantoja officially lost that night, the injury changed the course of the fight before it could truly get underway.

“I injured my arm. I know that, as an athlete, I lost that fight, and now I have the opportunity to fight world champion Joshua Van — and that’s what I want. I want him at his best because I’m at my best too,” Pantoja said.

Tensions have escalated since their first encounter.

At a news conference in August in Los Angeles, the fighters got into an exchange that forced UFC president Dana White to intervene. Pantoja stood up from his seat after Van interrupted him, but the situation did not escalate into a physical confrontation.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m his dad,” Van said. “He was being respectful before the fight, and I don’t know what he’s doing in interviews and stuff like that to make me look like the bad guy.”

Pantoja offered a different explanation.

“He does a very good job,” Pantoja said. “He needed a lesson. When I stood up, I tried to teach him a lesson. I’m from the ‘90s. Back then, if you didn’t respect your mother or father, you’d get a slap.”

Despite the disagreement, both have shown respect for their opponent’s skills. Van described Pantoja as a “very, very dangerous” fighter.

“He’s going to be motivated, he’s going to be hungrier, and I think this will be the best Pantoja we’ll see,” Van said. “So I’m very well prepared for this fight.”

Pantoja, for his part, knows he’s facing a champion who’s already had the chance to prove he can go the distance for five rounds. The Brazilian also viewed Van’s fight against Taira as a source of insight for his preparation.

“An incredible fight, very good,” Pantoja said of his 24-year-old opponent. “I think it’s a good fight for all the fans. It showed me something, but I know Joshua Van is very young and can fix a lot of things from that fight.”

For the Brazilian, the goal this weekend is clear.

“At the end of the day, what matters is the victory,” said Pantoja. “However it plays out — whether it’s by decision, split decision, KO or submission — I think the closer we get to the fight, the less those things matter. The closer we get to the fight, the championship doesn’t matter anymore, the money doesn’t matter — all that really matters is the win.”

Van doesn’t expect to let the fight go to the scorecards.

“I don’t think it’ll go five rounds; I’ll finish it within the first three rounds,” he said confidently. “It’ll be by knockout or submission, but I’m leaning more toward a knockout.”

If Pantoja regains the championship, he would become only the third flyweight champion in UFC history to reclaim the belt after losing it, joining Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno.

For the Brazilian, returning to Los Angeles also holds personal significance. He recalled that it was the first city he visited when he arrived in the United States in 2014 and that, back then, he slept in a gym.

Now he’ll return as a title challenger in the main event of UFC 331.

“It’s so nice that people see where I started here and see how far I’ve come,” Pantoja recalled. “For me, the best part is being the same guy I was when I arrived here in 2014; I’m the same guy right now, and I’m very happy and proud of myself.”

Belgium’s Wout van Aert surged clear of Valentin Paret-Peintre in a sprint to the line to win stage 13 of the Vuelta a Espana.

The duo were part of a huge breakaway that at one point contained 43 riders on the 192.8km route from Almunecar to Loja.

However, they escaped with 3.7km remaining to contest the finish unchallenged, where Van Aert’s greater power told.

Britain’s Matthew Brennan, who has already won three stages, crossed in third behind his Visma-Lease a Bike team-mate and Paret-Peintre.

Overall race leader Enric Mas arrived three minutes later along with all the other main general classification favourites to retain an advantage of one minute and 45 seconds over Primoz Roglic.

“I had it a little bit in my mind [to attack when I did],” Van Aert said. “I saw the profile and I knew there was this last kicker coming into the village.

“This distance [from the finish], a lot of the time, is when people start to think about the sprint.

“If you’re able to open up a gap, then they [the remaining riders in the breakaway] don’t want to close it for each other anymore. It was close enough to the finish to be worth it.”

The peloton faces a difficult day in the mountains on Saturday as the race travels 154.5km from Jaen to La Pandera.

Meanwhile, Dutch sprinter Olav Kooij won a chaotic sprint finish on stage three of the Tour of Britain.

Kooij pipped Tim Merlier at the end of the 181.1km stage that started in Hull and concluded in Beverley, to claim his eighth stage victory at the race, leaving him just two wins short of the record held by Mark Cavendish, who has 10 on his palmares.

Britain’s Lewis Askey finished with the same time in 17th place and hold on to his place at the top of the GC with Belgian Tim Wellens 12 seconds back in second.

Liverpool’s Dutch forward Gakpo is a transfer target for Premier League rivals Manchester City.

Virgil van Dijk is hoping Liverpool hang on to Cody Gakpo, with Manchester City reportedly closing in on the Dutch international before Tuesday’s Premier League transfer deadline.

Gakpo looks set to be pushed down the pecking order at Anfield by the arrival of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain for a fee that could rise to $166m, making the Frenchman the second-most expensive player in Premier League history.

In three and a half years at Liverpool, Gakpo has scored 51 goals and played a major role in the club’s 20th English top-flight title in the 2024–25 campaign.

The 27-year-old has made a bright start to this season, scoring one goal and providing an assist as Liverpool have drawn their opening two games 2-2 against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest under Andoni Iraola.

But Liverpool appear open to cashing in on Gakpo, with City reportedly set to pay 75 million pounds ($101.6m).

“He’s a quality player, and I think we should keep quality players, but let’s see what the next three days bring,” said Van Dijk.

“Obviously, it’s pretty clear that I want him to stay, not only because he is the quality player that he is, but also [because] he’s a friend of mine, and I think he will be very important for us.”

Barcola has been tempted to England by the European champions despite a difficult time for the Reds, who finished fifth in the Premier League last season.

But Van Dijk is confident Liverpool will always remain a popular destination for the world’s top players.

“I think Liverpool are still one of the biggest clubs in the world. Obviously, we all know that we’re going through a transition, and you either want to be part of it, or you don’t. I’m part of it now,” he added.

“He’s [Barcola] a very good player. If he comes, he’ll be welcomed with open arms, but until it’s there, there’s no point speaking about it now.”

Iraola has had an early awakening as to why he was given the chance to replace the sacked Arne Slot, as Liverpool’s defensive issues have been exposed by Newcastle and Forest.

But in both games, Liverpool have twice come back from behind to salvage a point.

“It takes some time, but obviously we all want it to work as soon as possible and for 90 minutes,” said Van Dijk.

“That’s now two games in a row we’ve had to fight back. Obviously, it’s a good sign that we fight back, but I think we can still do much better than what we have been showing.

“We have to score more; we have to concede less. Nottingham Forest came here three times in the last three seasons and came away unbeaten, and that shouldn’t happen.”

EMILY Atack has shared a behind the scenes look at her “beautifully chaotic” family wedding held in her garden.

The Rivals actress tied the knot with Alistair Gardner in an intimate ceremony over the weekend at her home in Bedfordshire.

As the blushing bride continues to bask in her happiness, she’s taken to her Instagram to give her fans a sneak peek into the big day.

She looked incredible in a tailored bespoke wedding gown as she took to her feed to thank the designer.

In a series of photos, Emily appeared to be the picture of happiness as she wowed in her dress, complete with high-shoulders, lace detailing and of course, a veil.

The 36-year-old penned: “A moment for the dress.. The biggest thank you ever to Caroline at @eveliebridal and @josephinescottlondon @avenuebyjosephinescott.. beautiful detailing.

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Stunning Emily Atack ties the knot at ‘perfect’ wedding complete with McFlurry van

“Tailored bespoke by @kulitabespoke and shoes by @charlottemillsshoes.”

The happy couple had a McDonald’s van parked up outside their home as the date was etched on the top of it.

It also got a personalised touch with “Mr and Mrs Garner” written on it as McFlurry’s were served to their guests.

The bride and groom posed in front of the van as they enjoyed a smooch.

Emily wrote: “Gifted the most amazing van for the day. Let’s face it. It’s all you want after about 23 glasses of champagne.”

The couple opted for two personalised cakes which included a showstopper with realistic looking figurines of Emily, Alistair and their two-year-old son Barney.

The trio are surrounded by plenty of greenery to replicate the forest theme of the garden wedding.

A second cake looked like something straight of Bridgerton, complete with a pink base, ruffled blue and white icing and adorned with pretty flowers.

The final personalised touched included an ‘E & A’ wooden cake topper.

Emily’s long-time pal Mario did the catering for the big day as she shared a snap of him serving up the delicious looking food.

The Inbetweeners icon said: “I really hope you are bollocking me about something mental I’ve done here @mariogdigiorgi.

“15 years of friendship and feeding us the most insane food.”

Her sister Martha took to her own stories to recall the wedding as she ran around after her nephew.

Sharing a photo of herself in a pretty Summery dress with Barney, she penned: “Maid of honour duty #52: Chase sticky nephew around the garden.

Martha also called it “our beautifully chaotic family garden wedding.”

Emily announced yesterday that she was a married woman as she told her followers on the social media platform.

“Yesterday we officially got married among close family and friends. It was absolutely perfect,” Emily wrote on Instagram.

“I can’t believe we get to do all that again in a few weeks time. Christ, we have fun don’t we @dralistairgarner.”