The huge amount Joshua Van was paid for his fight with Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331

Joshua Van received a humongous pay cheque for his clash with Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331.

The gifted mixed martial artist produced a magnificent performance to retain his flyweight world title at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Joshua Van made $500,000 at UFC 331

After their first fight ended in disaster when Alexandre Pantoja injured his elbow, the pair both jumped at the chance to settle their rivalry.

In the opening round, the Brazilian stood toe-to-toe with Joshua Van, landing vicious punches and knees.

However, with warrior spirit in abundance, the champion bounced back in the second segment, connecting with lightning jabs, before rocking his opponent to his core in the third.

WOW: MMA star lands ‘generational’ submission at UFC 331 that leaves fans stunned… ‘One of the best I’ve seen’

Refusing to give up on his dream of reclaiming the throne, Pantoja secured a big takedown in the fourth, before looking for a submission. However, he was unable to pass guard.

With the fight hanging in the balance, Van took the ascendancy, marching his foe down, before connecting with a lethal right hand to send the legend crashing towards the canvas, earning a unanimous decision victory.

With his star power rising, the reigning 125-pound king was paid accordingly, making $500,000 (£373,383.72)

Dana White gave Sean Sharaf a massive bonus at UFC 331

Van wasn’t the only person to walk away from the major event with a much healthier bank balance than they started the night with.

Sean Sharaf pulled off a monumental upset victory against Gable Steveson.

In a shocking turn of events, the underdog knocked out the favourite in just 12 seconds.

And because of that, Dana White gave Sharaf a massive bonus after UFC 331.

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