The oxidation pathways affected by asymmetric and symmetric Ov sites on catalysts in the Fenton-like process should be illustrated in detail. Based on the experimental and theoretical results, it can be revealed that the asymmetric Ov sites favored nonradical species (1O2) formation by triggering H2O2 and DO to produce surface O2·-, and the migration distance between the species and pollutant was shortened due to the excellent adsorption of methylene blue (MB) on the sites. OH species were liable to be generated on the symmetric Ov sites. Calcination and the amount of medium strong acid sites of the support may be important roles in the formation of asymmetric Ovs for the Nb-Ce loading catalyst prepared by impregnation. This work unravels the different catalytc pathways of asymmetric and symmetric Ovs dominated, and also provides a facile strategy to control the oxidation pathway as desirable in the H2O2-Fenton-like system.