Alexandre Pantoja’s flyweight reign ended tonight at UFC 323 in a regrettable manner that no one had expected.
Pantoja, who was making the fifth defense of his UFC flyweight title, looked extremely dangerous and aggressive against Joshua Van right after the opening bell.
However, while Pantoja was landing a high kick, Joshua Van caught the leg and tripped Pantoja, causing the latter to land on his hand and snap it. He was in tremendous anguish on the ground, clutching his right arm and signalling that something was wrong. Hence, the referee had to stop the fight, and with that, Van became the new undisputed UFC flyweight champion.
The MMA community reacted to the unfortunate incident that led to Alexandre Pantoja’s dethroning.
MMA Community Reacts as Alexandre Pantoja Loses Flyweight Title in Heartbreaking Fashion
Max Holloway posted on X:
“Man, stop the replay! #UFC323”
Glibert Burns posted:
“💔@Pantojamma😢😢”
Dominick Cruz posted:
“I wish that Van vs Pantoja fight was aloud to keep going. It should be up to us as the fighter if we want to continue after that. We put the time in the training camp in that situation. People dislocate their arms and put it back in place and keep fighting all the time. #UFC323”
Kevin Holland wrote on X:
“That’s freaking sucks… still props to Van”
Ariel Helwani wrote:
“Holy smokes. Pantoja’s arm breaks as he lands in the first few seconds, and the fight is off. Josh Van is the new champ. Absolutely sickening. Don’t watch the footage. It’s awful.”
The UFC will run it back, but the timeline will depend on how serious Alexandre Pantoja’s injury is and when he can return. ‘The Cannibal’ can return quickly if it’s only a dislocation. Otherwise, Van will defend his flyweight title for the first time against Tatsuro Taira, who secured a finish over Brandon Moreno, just before the UFC 323 co-main event.