Alexandre Pantoja reveals he could have returned from grisly arm injury at UFC 327
It turns out Alexandre Pantoja could have returned to fight Joshua Van at UFC 327 for his former flyweight title. Pantoja lost his title to Van at UFC 323 after his arm folded back on itself off a Van takedown. The match was called just 26 seconds in, and all of a sudden Pantoja’s impressive […]
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 06: Alexandre Pantoja of Brazil reacts to his injury in the UFC flyweight championship fight during the UFC 323 event at T-Mobile Arena on December 06, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) It turns out Alexandre Pantoja could have returned to fight Joshua Van at UFC 327 for his former flyweight title. Pantoja lost his title to Van at UFC 323 after his arm folded back on itself off a Van takedown.
The match was called just 26 seconds in, and all of a sudden Pantoja’s impressive four title defense streak was over. Many expected “The Cannibal” to be out for a long time given how nasty the highlights of his dislocated elbow injury were. But he and his team kept insisting that he’d be back quickly and could take an immediate rematch against Joshua Van.
That didn’t end up happening — Van will now face Tatsuro Taira in the co-main of UFC 327 in Miami. But according to Pantoja, he’s now feeling good to go and could have made the April 11th date. “The UFC asked me about the fight, but if I can remember, it was the last days of January,” Pantoja told Ariel Helwani in a new interview.
“In that time, two months ago, I said ‘No, maybe I can fight in June. ’ But after that, after one month, February, March, beginning of March, I think I’m ready to fight. If the guys asked me, maybe I’m ready to fight in Miami.