UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape has explained why he considers Alexandre Pantoja’s arm injury a technical foul.
Earlier this month, Alexandre Pantoja defended his UFC flyweight championship against Joshua Van at UFC 323. However, during the opening exchanges of that fight, Pantoja fell back to the canvas and extended his arm in an attempt to soften the blow, but instead suffered a gnarly injury. Joshua Van has now been declared the new champion and will attempt to defend the title in early 2026.
As for Alexandre Pantoja, he has said several times that he plans to come back stronger from this. Whether or not he can regain the title is of course another matter entirely, especially considering the likes of Manel Kape and Tatsuro Taira are now sniffing around looking for a championship opportunity of their own.
In one recent podcast with Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo, Manel Kape gave his opinion on what happened to Alexandre Pantoja.
Manel Kape discusses Alexandre Pantoja’s UFC 323 injury
“It was a technical error by Pantoja [his injury]. When you go to the ground, you never extend your arm. This is a fundamental part of jiu-jitsu. You roll and you let it go. You can’t straighten your arm. It was a technical foul to get up quickly.”
“We didn’t find out who the better man was that night. It happened, Joshua Van is the champion and the division has to move forward.”
“If I join the band, whatever it is, it’s welcome. It’s welcome to the party.”
Regardless of your thoughts on what happened to Pantoja, the overwhelming hope is that he won’t be out for too long. He had an epic run with the world title and it would be a shame if his career disappeared.
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