UFC 331 predictions: Favorites will run wild in Los Angeles

Big fight card in the City of Angels this Saturday as the West Coast hosts UFC 331.Twelve bouts are on the docket, including one title fight and another potential championship eliminator in what should be a very fun evening in Los Angeles.We lost one fight, Renato Moicano vs.Brian Ortega, from the card due to an Ortega injury, leaving 12 bouts.Of those 12, we have a rare even split of them expected to go the distance vs.

to end in a finish.Three matchups in the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions are overwhelmingly expected to end inside of a round.The entire card will start at 5 p.m.ET on Paramount+, with the main card beginning at 9 p.m.This is a rematch of last December’s match that disappointingly ended in an injury for Pantoja and a TKO win for Van in only 26 seconds.Since then, Van has come into his own, beating the brakes off Tatsuro Taira in a fifth-round TKO victory that was more of a mercy ending than anything else.Taira landed eight takedowns in that fight but was extremely hittable as Van landed incredible levels of power punches for the flyweight division.The last thing we saw from Pantoja was a nasty elbow injury that held him out for nearly a year.

Pantoja reportedly did not elect to get surgery and instead went through extensive physical therapy, which gives me plenty of pause about wagering on him.For starters, Pantoja, 36, is well behind the normal age curve of success at flyweight.Meanwhile, Van is the champ, ever improving and in the prime of his career.He’s perhaps the best boxer in flyweight history and highly entertaining to watch.If Pantoja dominates the grappling, more power to him, but I’m not so sure that he’ll be able to pull that off in this fight.I’m targeting Van to win in the late rounds or by decision.Prediction: Van wins + the fight goes Over 2.5 rounds (+185, DraftKings).This is a five-round non-title fight — not three — so that distinction matters for this lightweight title eliminator.Tsarukyan is an excell...