Alexander Pantoja is disappointed, but he’s holding his head high after his flyweight title reign ended in brutal fashion at UFC 323. The former champion suffered a gruesome arm injury just 26 seconds into his fight against Joshua Van, bringing an abrupt end to one of the most anticipated flyweight matchups of the year.
The freak accident happened when Van caught a head kick, and Pantoja tried to brace his fall. As soon as his arm posted on the canvas, his elbow appeared to pop out in a disturbing motion. Pantoja immediately clutched his arm and waved off the fight, forcing the referee to stop the contest. Van was crowned the new UFC flyweight champion. Shortly after the fight, Pantoja shared a brief message with fans.
“I’ve been through worse,” Pantoja said. “I’ll come back even stronger, you can be sure of that. Thank you for the messages.”
The ending left fans stunned, especially since the fight never got the chance to truly begin. UFC officials released a medical update backstage, though there seemed to be some confusion around the exact nature of the injury.
“I spoke to the UFC’s chief medical physician Dr. Jeff Davidson,” Olivi said. “He told me Pantoja had a left shoulder dislocation with spontaneous reduction. What that essentially means is his shoulder was dislocated but went back into place on its own.”
The update didn’t sit well with UFC commentator Joe Rogan, who questioned the diagnosis after reviewing the footage.
“It doesn’t even make sense,” Rogan said. “You saw his elbow literally leave the joint.”
No matter the label, the injury is serious enough to keep Alexander Pantoja out for a while. He’ll undergo further imaging in Florida and meet with an orthopedic specialist to determine the full extent of the damage.
Despite the setback, everyone agrees on one thing, once he’s cleared, Pantoja is first in line for another title shot. His reign, résumé, and grit guarantee it.
On social media, Pantoja doubled down on his resilience, posting once again:
“I’ve been through worse. I’ll come back even stronger, you can be sure of that. Thank you for the messages.”
Alexander Pantoja has battled through adversity his entire career, and this setback won’t be any different. Fans expect him to bounce back, reload, and step right into a future rematch with the new champion.
Whether that happens next year or later depends on his healing timeline, but one thing is clear, the flyweight division isn’t the same without Pantoja in the hunt.
