UFC 331 Brings Electric Undercard to LA Saturday!

UFC 331 fight week is here. As the summer season winds down next week, MMA's No. 1 promotion returns for its last card of the summer schedule of events on the west coast.

Saturday night, Crypto.com Arena, the home venue of the Los Angeles Lakers, serves as the setting for this week's UFC show. Live coverage of UFC 331 begins with the early prelims at 5:30 pm ET/ 2:30 pm PT on Paramount Plus and UFC Fight Pass.

Late prelims follow at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT on Paramount Plus exclusively before the main card caps the evening at 9 pm ET/ 6 pm PT. If there are no adjustments needing to be made to the itinerary between now and the weekend, the final version of UFC 331 will feature a slate of 12 fights.

UFC 331 Featured Prelim: No. 10 Contender Marlon Vera vs. Charles Jourdain: "Chito" Looking to Stop Skid

At the top of the undercard, the bantamweights take to the fabled Octagon for a fight between No. 10 contender Marlon Vera (23-12-1 MMA, 15-11 UFC) and Charles Jourdain (18-8-1 MMA, 8-7-1 UFC.) All fights mentioned herein are an advertised three rounds at five minutes per round.

Marlon Vera enters UFC 331 on a 1-4 record in his last five bouts. He's lost four contests in a row, including a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of David Martinez (15-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) back in February. 

It goes without saying that this is a critical 15 minutes or less of action for Vera and his camp. Another loss here would make for five in succession and it might mean that his longterm status on the UFC's roster comes into question.

Charles Jourdain Going in Opposite Direction Ahead of UFC 331

Across the way, Charles Jourdain is in the reverse scenario of his opponent. Going into Saturday night's featured prelim, he's sporting a mark of 3-2 in his last five outings, but he's won three fights consecutively. 

Back on the night of April 18 in UFC Winnipeg, he scored a unanimous decision victory over Kyler Phillips (12-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC) after 15 minutes. With Jourdain being unranked ahead of UFC 331, Saturday's fight carries high stakes for both him and his camp.

If he gets his hand raised in victory, that'll be four wins in a row and potentially assures Jourdain with a number next to his name as early as next week. Who emerges as the winner?

UFC 331 Co-Featured Prelim: Tai Tuivasa vs. Robelis Despaigne: Tuivasa in Desperate Need of Win

Immediately beforehand, the heavyweights go to battle when Tai Tuivasa (14-10 MMA, 8-10 UFC) meets Robelis Despaigne (6-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in the latter's promotional return. Tuivasa is 0-5 in his last five outings as part of a seven-fight losing streak.

On May 2, he dropped his seventh straight fight by way of unanimous decision to Louie Sutherland (11-6 MMA, 1-3 UFC) after 15 minutes of action. In the wake of that loss to Sutherland, fans were clamoring for Tuivasa to be cut from the company. 

It's do-or-die time for Tai Tuivasa in the UFC 331 co-featured prelim. If he loses again here, the calls for him to be dismissed grow even louder. 

Robelis Despaigne Finds Himself Back in UFC for UFC 331

Meanwhile, Robelis Despaigne comes into the weekend with a record of 3-2 in his past five appearances in MMA. During MVP MMA 1 in May, he competed in his first fight under MMA rules since October of 2024, scoring a first-round knockout victory over Junior dos Santos (21-11 MMA, 0-1 MVP) from Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA.  

Counting fights in Karate Combat, Robelis Despaigne finds himself undefeated in his last eight contests dating back to December of 2024. With Despaigne having won eight bouts in a row across the disciplines, he'll be a force to be reckoned with on Saturday night once the cage door shuts, 

How will he fare in his return? Tune in and find out.

UFC 331: Michael Aswell vs. Joo Sang Yoo: Aswell Looking to Avoid Third UFC Defeat

Also on the UFC 331 undercard, featherweight action takes place when Michael Aswell (11-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) fights Joo Sang Yoo (9-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC.) Aswell will be making the walk on Saturday having posted a 3-2 record in his last five fights.

He's lost two contests in a row coming into the weekend. Last time out, he dropped a unanimous decision at the hands of Gaston Bolanos (9-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) on June 20.

Saturday's fight serves as a crucial contest for Aswell and his camp. This serves as the third walk to the Octagon for him in 2026 and he's already lost his first two contests this year. Can he turn it around?

Joo Sang Yoo Returns After Nearly a Year Away

In the other corner, Joo Sang Yoo enters UFC 331 sporting a mark of 4-1 in the past five bouts. On the night of Oct. 4, 2025, his winning streak came to an end with a second-round knockout of Daniel Santos (13-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) during UFC 320.

Subsequent to the win, Yoo was slated to have returned to action versus Gaston Bolanos in early March, but the fight was postponed in the wake of his withdrawal from the show. With Yoo having withdrawn from his scheduled clash last winter, he's had close to a full year out of competition. 

How much ring rust does he have? Only time will tell.

Rest of the Prelims:

UFC 331's undercard is rounded out by these fights:

• A middleweight contest matching Ryan Gandra (10-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) against Ozzy Diaz (10-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC,)
• a middleweight bout between Edmen Shahbazyan (16-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) and Brunno Ferreira (15-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in the featured early prelim, 
• a women's flyweight fight pairing No. 12 Casey O'Neill (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) with No. 13 contender Eduarda Moura (12-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC,)
• and a featherweight affair versing Giga Chikadze (15-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) and Joanderson Brito (19-5-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC.)