VIDEO | Alexandre Pantoja watches heartfelt message from son ahead of UFC 323 title fight

UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja received an emotional message from his young son ahead of his co-headlining fight at UFC 323.

Alexandre Pantoja’s family means the world to him, as evidenced by his emotional post-fight interview with Joe Rogan after winning the UFC flyweight title at UFC 290. After a rough upbringing in Brazil, headlined by an allegedly neglectful father, Pantoja has worked his way into becoming one of the greatest fighters in UFC history.

Pantoja is days away from making his latest title defense against Joshua Van at UFC 323. During his title reign, Pantoja has become a UFC fan favorite after rising through the ranks as a relatively unknown contender in the division.

Pantoja is fired up to turn away another top flyweight contender at UFC 323, potentially. In the hours before his latest title defense, Pantoja received a message of inspiration from his family that made him tear up.

Alexandre Pantoja tears up watching heartfelt message from son ahead of UFC 323

Pantoja watched the message at UFC 323 media day, as you can see in the video below.

Alexandre Pantoja becomes emotional as he watches his son’s heartfelt message backstage before UFC 323🥺❤️

Via: @ufc pic.twitter.com/jhTixSqhXB

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) December 4, 2025

Pantoja returns to the Octagon after finishing Kai Kara-France at UFC 317 earlier this year. He earned the title by winning an instant classic against Brandon Moreno at UFC 290, before defending the belt against the likes of Steve Erceg, Brandon Royval, and Kai Asakura.

Van is looking to dethrone Pantoja after recent wins over Royval, Bruno Silva, and Rei Tsuruya. With a win on Saturday, he’ll become the first UFC fighter to win a championship from Myanmar.

Meanwhile, Pantoja recently shut down a potential move to bantamweight after UFC 323 to challenge for a second title. A win at UFC 323 would move Pantoja one step closer to the flyweight GOAT debate.