Andy Foster questions UFC 331 judging after Joshua Van’s title defense
Joshua Van retained his UFC flyweight title at UFC 331, but the scoring of his unanimous decision over Alexandre Pantoja came under scrutiny during the California State Athletic Commission’s post-event debrief.
Joshua Van won 49-46, 48-47 and 50-45 on the official cards at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Saturday. All three judges had Van winning, but Ron McCarthy’s 50-45 score stood out after Alexandre Pantoja controlled large portions of the fourth round on the ground.
Andy Foster Calls Ron McCarthy’s 50-45 Scorecard “Not Possible”
California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster questioned McCarthy’s scorecard during the debrief, specifically taking issue with the decision to award Van the fourth round. Aaron Bronsteter reported that Foster called the 50-45 card “not possible” and said it took him time to calm down before the meeting.
Foster felt the judges should have considered the secondary scoring criteria and the value of control because there was not much significant offense from either fighter in that round.
The criticism did not change the result. Van still won unanimously and earned his second successful title defense.
Andy Foster opened the meeting by calling Ron McCarthy’s 50-45 scorecard in the main event “not possible”, particularly scoring Round 4 for Van.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) September 20, 2026
He said that it took him some time to calm down about it before coming to start the meeting.
UFC 331 Judges Explain Why They Scored the Fight Differently
McCarthy defended his fourth-round score by explaining that he already had Van ahead before Pantoja secured his takedown. He felt Pantoja produced little damage from the position, while Van was more active from the bottom, and said he planned to watch the round again.
Sal D’Amato saw the round differently. He scored the fourth for Pantoja, saying the effective grappling from the takedown tipped the round in his favor. D’Amato still had Van winning the fight 49-46, while Derek Cleary went 48-47 for the champion after giving Pantoja the first and fourth rounds.
The differing cards did not alter the outcome, but they showed just how differently the judges viewed the same five-round title fight.
