Alexandre Pantoja sends defiant message after freak injury loss at UFC 323

Former UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja has released a statement following his strange defeat at UFC 323.

Last night in the co-main event of UFC 323, Alexandre Pantoja suffered a nasty arm injury. As he was attempting to pad his fall early in the fight against Joshua Van, his arm was put in a pretty compromising position with Pantoja himself making it clear that he was unable to continue. As a result, Van is the new flyweight champion of the world.

RELATED: Pros react after Joshua Van dethrones Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323

As you can imagine, this was a bit of an anti-climax, especially given how much hype there was heading into this contest. While it’s almost certain that Pantoja will get an immediate rematch upon his return, it’s not clear right now as to when exactly he will be able to get back into the cage.

In a post on social media, Pantoja made it clear that he plans on coming back better than ever.

Alexandre Pantoja just posted this on IG:

“I’ve been through worse. I’ll come back even stronger, you can be sure of that. Thank you for the messages.”#UFC323 pic.twitter.com/ddRHvi9krm

— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) December 7, 2025

Pantoja responds to injury setback

“I’ve been through worse. I’ll come back even stronger, you can be sure of that. Thank you for the messages.”

Alexandre has been through a lot on his career and he knows how to battle back against adversity. Hopefully, he can do the same here, and we will be able to see the best version of him in a future rematch.

What was your initial prediction of what would happen in this bout prior to the injury taking place? When do you expect we will see him return based on the information available? Let us know your thoughts, BJPENN Nation!