LOS ANGELES (AP) — Flyweight Champion Joshua Van erased the controversy surrounding his first victory over Alexandre Pantoja by defeating the former champion over five rounds Saturday, then declaring that his UFC flyweight title could no longer be dismissed as the product of an accidental injury.
“A lot of people said that was an accidental win the first time,” said Van (18-2). “Now doubt me now.”
Van said critics had questioned his legitimacy after Pantoja (30-7) suffered an injury early in their first meeting. The rematch gave the champion the opportunity to prove himself in a complete fight against the division’s former standard-bearer.
Van, who had his boxing skills and takedown defense on full display, finished with 140 significant head strikes, to Pantoja’s 99.
The champion praised Pantoja’s durability and championship-level skill, particularly after the Brazilian escaped a submission attempt Van believed would finish the fight.
“Shoutout to Pantoja,” Van said. “Nothing but respect from me."
Van’s decisive victory strengthened the legitimacy of his championship reign, while Pantoja’s toughness added significance to the performance.
In the co-main event, No. 2-ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan (24-3) strengthened his claim to the next title shot with a dramatic first-round knockout of No. 7 Mauricio Ruffy (14-3), who was coming off a TKO victory over Michael Chandler at UFC Freedom 250.
Ruffy successfully defended Tsarukyan’s early takedown attempts, but the Armenian changed levels late in the round before switching to an elbow that landed flush. With Ruffy badly hurt, Tsarukyan followed with another elbow that knocked the Brazilian unconscious at 4:56, just four seconds before the horn. The victory extended Tsarukyan’s winning streak to six.
“Of course, for my next fight, for the title fight, I needed that finish, and I knew that I’m gonna finish him,” Tsarukyan said. “It was a little bit difficult in the first round, but I knew I had five rounds, and my time was going to come. So I was patient.”
Tsarukyan later joked that he wanted either a lightweight championship fight or a showdown with Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg.
No. 15-ranked featherweight Patricio Pitbull (38-9) reinforced his place in the rankings with the 13th first-round finish of his career — and his first knockout since joining the UFC. The former two-division Bellator champion rocked Dooho Choi (17-5-1) with a crushing right hand, then swarmed “The Korean Superboy” with follow-up punches, forcing referee Mike Beltran to stop the fight at 3:28. Pitbull called the performance his “real debut” in the UFC before challenging Jean Silva.
Sean Sharaf (5-2) produced one of the night’s biggest shocks, knocking out heavily favored heavyweight prospect Gable Steveson (4-1) just 12 seconds into their bout. Sharaf connected with a clean 1-2 combination, with the left hook turning Steveson’s head and leaving the Olympic gold medalist unconscious on the canvas. Referee Frank Trigg immediately stopped the fight, giving Sharaf his first UFC victory and a finish tied for the third-fastest knockout in UFC heavyweight history.
“I’m not surprised,” Sharaf shouted before explaining that he continued believing in himself when few others did. Steveson left the Octagon before the official announcement, drawing criticism from several fighters and social media observers.
No. 14-ranked light heavyweight Alonzo Menifield (19-6-1) overcame a gruesome hand injury and a difficult opening round to hand Iwo Baraniewski (9-1) his first professional defeat. A ringside physician examined Menifield’s badly damaged left thumb before the third round, but the Los Angeles native insisted on continuing. Menifield ultimately prevailed by split decision, with two judges scoring the fight 29-28 for him and the third returning a 29-28 card for Baraniewski. The victory was Menifield’s second straight. The severity of the injury became apparent during Menifield’s post-fight interview, when he revealed that he had broken the thumb in the opening round and displayed what appeared to be bone protruding through the skin.
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FILE - UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja, left, of Brazil, and Joshua Van, originally of Myanmar, face off during a ceremonial weigh-in for UFC 323 Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, in Las Vegas (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP,File)
Lane Kiffin's much-hyped return to Mississippi ended with a fourth-down failure.
Jaylon Braxton intercepted Sam Leavitt's pass into the end zone in the final seconds, setting off a raucous celebration that was nine months in the making and sending Kiffin and No. 7 LSU home with a 32-24 loss to eighth-ranked Ole Miss that showed just how hated the coach has become in Oxford.
It was the second loss of the day for a top-10 team from the Southeastern Conference. Kentucky stunned No. 9 Texas A&M 31-21 on the road.
The later one was equally shocking, mostly because the Rebels looked like they would roll over the Tigers early. Ole Miss led 24-7 at halftime. LSU stormed back in the second half and had a chance to tie the game in the final minute.
But Leavitt's pass was tipped and then picked off.
A few minutes later, after Trinidad Chambliss took two knees, the home team reveled by shooting fireworks and playing “Callin' Baton Rouge” by Garth Brooks — an epic troll.
It was exactly what Kiffin should have expected after getting wildly booed long before he arrived at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Kiffin appeared remotely on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” and Mississippi fans still angry about how he left the Rebels for LSU late last season greeted him with a chorus of expletive-laced chants.
“I really appreciate you guys gaslighting them with this,” Kiffin said from the team hotel.
It was the latest in a growing buildup for the first top-10 matchup between No. 7 LSU and eight-ranked Ole Miss since 1962.
It started when Kiffin left the Rebels to take the LSU job and a $91 million contract just as the team he had coached for six years was days away from its first appearance in the College Football Playoff. Kiffin wanted to stay through the playoff, but Ole Miss moved on to coach Pete Golding and advanced to the CFP semifinals. LSU finished 7-6, capped by a loss in the Texas Bowl.
The off-field storylines haven’t stopped since. Kiffin’s comments about whether Black players could be recruited to Ole Miss, lawsuits alleging Ole Miss transfers owe big money for reneging on their NIL deals and LSU’s now-abandoned defiance of rules against rostering former pro players have only brightened the spotlight for this one.
The Wildcats got big games from quarterback Kenny Minchey, running back CJ Baxter and safety Jordan Castell in College Station, Texas.
Minchey, a Notre Dame transfer, completed 14 of 18 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns. He connected on his final 11 throws. Baxter, a former Texas standout, ran for 87 yards and two scores. Castell, a three-year starter at Florida, finished with a team-high 13 tackles and an interception.
“I’m not shocked,” first-year head coach Will Stein said afterward. “This is how these guys practiced every single day. This is what Kentucky football is supposed to look like. So proud of our guys coming on the road, the eye of the storm. How freaking cool is this? Let’s go!”
Stein, 36, replaced longtime Kentucky coach Mark Stoops in December and became the third first-year Wildcats coach to beat a top-10 team — first since Joker Phillips in 2010.
“We knew it was going to be a bar fight, a fistfight, old school,” Stein said. “We were the tougher team tonight. That’s how we won the game."
Double-digit comebacks were trending across the country, with at least five winners rallying from 14 or more points.
No. 10 Alabama did it against Florida State; Vanderbilt did it against N.C. State; Toledo did it against Temple; Clemson did it against North Carolina; and Cincinnati did it against Miami (Ohio).
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney can thank Mother Nature for alleviating some heat.
Gideon Davidson ran for 105 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown with five minutes remaining as the Tigers rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat North Carolina 28-20 on Saturday in a game that included a 2 1/2-hour weather delay.
Clemson’s Tait Reynolds completed 20 of 29 passes for 215 yards with a touchdown and an interception in his first career start.
The Tigers trailed 17-15 with 8:11 remaining and UNC with momentum. It was second-and-goal at the Tigers 7 when officials sent both teams to the locker room after lightning was detected in the area.
When players returned to the field, it was all Clemson. The Tigers stuffed two runs, forced a field goal and took over from there.
Jeremiah Smith became Ohio State’s career receiving yardage leader.
Smith caught five passes for 85 yards in a 59-3 victory over Kent State. The junior needed 26 yards to surpass Michael Jenkins’ 2,898 yards from 2000-03 and become OSU’s record-holder and got it on his second catch of the game, when he hauled in a 23-yard pass from Julian Sayin midway through the first quarter.
“Put a lot of hard work into it," Smith said. “They said 33 games, so I’m blessed.”
Keyjuan Brown ran for a career-high 163 yards and a pair of long touchdowns to carry No. 23 Louisville to a 41-31 victory over 16th-ranked SMU. The teams picked to finish second (SMU) and third (Louisville) in the Atlantic Coast Conference put on a back-and-forth affair, trading the lead eight times before the Cardinals sealed it on Isaac Brown’s 27-yard touchdown run with 5:32 remaining.
Both teams were trying to keep pace with No. 5 Miami, which beat Wake Forest 33-20 on Friday night behind an impressive performance by quarterback Darian Mensah.
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Kentucky players celebrate a field goal by kicker Adam Zouagui (88) during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Kentucky head coach Will Stein celebrates after his team beat Texas A&M in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Kentucky's CJ Baxter Jr. (1) and Ty Bryant (14) celebrate after an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
