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Joshua Van retained his flyweight title with a thrilling win over Alexandre Pantoja in their rematch at UFC 331 in Los Angeles.
Drake lands $1.09 million payout after Joshua Van's victory
The 24-year-old also helped Drake take home around $1 million, as the rapper had placed a $650,000 on the Myanmar-born in his fight against Brazilian Pantoja.
Ahead of the match, Drake shared on his Instagram Stories that he is betting on Van, with a text reading, "I don't know bro … but he better win."
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Joshua Van adn Alexandre Pantoja's last match
Van beat Pantoja in December 2025 after the Brazilian suffered an accidental elbow dislocation 26 seconds into the fight.
Van, the first UFC champion born in the 2000s, defended the belt against Tatsuro Taira in May but can now claim to be the best in the division after soundly beating 36-year-old Pantoja again.
Undisputed flyweight champion Van cemented his reign atop the 125-pound (56.7kg) division, defeating the Brazilian via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-47, 50-45) in the main event on Saturday night.
What happened during UFC 331
Pantoja took Van down in the first round, before landing heavy punches and knees in a fiery exchange, as Van retaliated with a slicing elbow.
Van, who moved to the US when he was 12, then peppered Pantoja with left-handed jabs in the second round, and rocked the Brazilian with a fluid combination of punches in the third.
Pantoja controlled the fourth round as he took Van down but was unable to submit him.
In the final round, Van stalked Pantoja and knocked him down with an overhand right, securing the win in the judges' scorecards.
"A lot of people said that was an accidental win, well, doubt me now," Van said after extending his professional MMA record to 18 wins and two losses.
