For two and a half years, Alexandre Pantoja ruled the UFC's flyweight division at a level unseen since Demetrious Johnson. Now, after losing his belt to Joshua Van via TKO at UFC 323 due to a dislocated elbow 26 seconds in, Pantoja (30-6) challenges Van (17-2) for the 125-pound title at UFC 331 inside Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Saturday.

The 36-year-old Pantoja told ESPN, "As an athlete, yes, I have a TKO loss... But personally, as a man? No. I don't believe I have a loss to him." He added, "For sure, this is an opportunity... It makes the fight more spicy for me."

Van, 24, has embraced the narrative, legitimizing his reign with a fifth-round KO of Tatsuro Taira in May. The unfinished business and Van's star power make this the most anticipated flyweight title fight since Henry Cejudo ended Johnson's reign in 2018.

Pantoja said, "Saturday night is going to be my best night, man... I have an opportunity to show everyone what I did in the last 10 months."