Alexandre Pantoja’s flyweight reign ended tonight at UFC 323 in an unfortunate way that no one expected.
Pantoja, who was defending his UFC flyweight title for the fifth time, looked extremely dangerous and aggressive against Joshua Van immediately after the opening bell.
However, as Pantoja landed a high kick, Joshua caught Van’s leg and tripped Pantoja, causing the latter to land on his hand and break it. He lay on the ground in great fear, clutching his right arm and indicates that something is wrong. Therefore, the referee had to stop the fight, making Van the new undisputed UFC flyweight champion.
The MMA community reacted to the unfortunate incident that led to the dethronement of Alexandre Pantoja.
MMA community reacts as Alexandre Pantoja loses flyweight title in heartbreaking fashion
Max Holloway posted on X:
“Man, stop the replay! #UFC323”
Glibert Burns wrote:
“💔@Pantojamma😢😢”
Dominick Cruz wrote:
“I wish the Van vs. Pantoja fight could go on out loud. It should be up to us as fighters whether we want to continue after that. In that situation, we put the time in the training camp. People dislocate their arms and put them back in place and keep fighting all the time. #UFC323”
Kevin Holland wrote on X:
“That fucking sucks… still supporting Van”
Ariel Helwani wrote:
“Holy smokes. Pantoja’s arm breaks when he lands in the first few seconds, and the fight is over. Josh Van is the new champion. Absolutely sickening. Don’t watch the footage. It’s horrible.”
The UFC will reverse it, but the timeline will depend on how serious Alexandre Pantoja’s injury is and when he can return. ‘The Cannibal’ could return soon if it’s just a disruption. Otherwise, Van will defend his flyweight title for the first time against Tatsuro Taira, who scored a finish over Brandon Moreno ahead of the UFC 323 co-main event.
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