Alexandre Pantoja, the UFC flyweight champion, suffered a serious arm injury in his title defense against Joshua Van at UFC 323, leading to a TKO loss in just 26 seconds and the end of his championship reign.
What happened in the fight
Pantoja opened aggressively at UFC 323, throwing kicks early in the first round against challenger Joshua Van. As he attempted a head kick, Van caught his leg and Pantoja fell awkwardly, posting on his left arm as he went down. His arm appeared to dislocate or break near the elbow, and the referee stopped the fight immediately, awarding Van the flyweight title by TKO due to injury.
Nature of the injury
Cage-side reports initially described the injury as a left shoulder dislocation that reduced on its own, with plans for further imaging to assess ligament damage. Subsequent reporting from Pantoja’s team and other outlets indicated the primary damage was to his left elbow rather than the shoulder, clarifying that the freak fall caused a serious elbow injury.
Current status and outlook
Pantoja left the arena with his arm in a sling but on his feet with his family, and there has been no confirmed return date yet. In social media and media comments, he has said he has overcome worse situations and intends to recover, work hard, and eventually come back to reclaim his flyweight title.
