UFC 331 GUIDE

What Championship Belt Is on the Line at UFC 331?

Updated September 2026 · by 12StarsChampionship

At UFC 331, Joshua Van is scheduled to defend the UFC flyweight championship against former champion Alexandre Pantoja. The five-round title rematch headlines the card at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on 19 September 2026. The prize is the division's championship, represented by the UFC Legacy belt that champions have received since 2019.

Which Belt Is Van vs Pantoja 2 Fighting For?

The belt on the line is the UFC flyweight championship. Van enters as the reigning champion and Pantoja as the challenger. This is not a BMF title fight, an interim championship or a special UFC 331 belt. The lightweight co-main event between Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy has title implications, but the UFC and Crypto.com Arena's event listing identify Van vs Pantoja 2 as the championship bout.

The roles have reversed since their first meeting. UFC says Van won the title from Pantoja at UFC 323, then defended it against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328. Pantoja therefore arrives in Los Angeles trying to reclaim the championship he once held, while Van makes another defence of his flyweight crown.

What Does the Real UFC Championship Belt Look Like?

The current title is called the UFC Legacy Championship Belt. UFC introduced it in January 2019 after the promotion's 25th anniversary. The design measures 50 inches from end to end and 12 inches high. Its centre plate measures 11.5 by 9.5 inches, with 4.25-inch square side plates.

The large central UFC logo sits over a pattern of octagons and squares. Twenty-five stones around the centre mark the promotion's first 25 years, while eight national flags honour the first eight countries to produce a UFC champion. The Roman numerals on the belt refer to 1993, the year of the first UFC event.

Unlike a generic trophy, the real Legacy belt is personalised. One side plate records the champion's name, weight class and national flag. Championship victories are marked by replacing white stones with red stones and engraving the date and location beside them. A serial-number plate and the UFC president's engraved signature appear on the back.

How Is the Real UFC Belt Built?

UFC describes the champion's belt as a 10.45-pound piece built on genuine leather. The strap has an embossed octagon pattern around its trim and closes with octagonal gold button snaps. The central logo is high-polished gold, and the stones are white cubic zirconia and created ruby.

The design was a collaboration between UFC, belt designer Brad Flaherty and Jae El Manufacturing. UFC's own Legacy belt explainer gives the dimensions and visible materials, but does not publish a complete breakdown of every metal or the internal construction. That matters because the real belt should not be casually described as solid gold.

How Does a Replica Compare With the Real Belt?

A replica copies the recognisable Legacy design, but it does not copy the sporting identity of Van's own championship belt. The real one is personalised with the champion's name, division, flag, serial number and championship record. Those details are what turn the physical object into a record of a fighter's title reign.

Construction also varies. For comparison, UFC has described its retail Legacy replica as using cast zinc-alloy plates with gold and silver plating, synthetic stones and a faux-leather strap. The champion's belt uses genuine leather, created stones and individual engraving. A replica is therefore best understood as a display and fan piece shaped around the same visual language, not the belt that will be awarded after the UFC 331 main event.

Why the UFC Belt Is September's Belt of the Month

UFC 331 puts the current flyweight championship at the centre of the month's biggest title story. Whether Van keeps the belt or Pantoja takes it back, the result will add another chapter to the Legacy design's purpose: recording championship wins on one personalised title. That direct link between the object and the fighter's record is why we chose the UFC World Heavyweight Championship Belt as our Belt of the Month for September 2026.

For collectors, the useful question is not whether a replica is identical to the champion's personal belt. It is whether it captures the details that make the design recognisable, including the central UFC mark, octagonal geometry, country flags, side plates and ring of stones. The product page shows the current listing and available options without confusing the replica with Van's personalised championship.

See the Belt of the Month →