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 up to become one of the greatest fighters in UFC history.
Pantoja is just days away from his final 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 excited to potentially turn down another top flyweight prospect at UFC 323. In the hours before his latest title defense, Pantoja received an inspiring message from his family, which left him in tears.
Alexandre Pantoja cries after seeing son’s heartfelt message ahead of UFC 323
Pantoja viewed the message at UFC 323 media day, as you can see in the video below.
Alexandre Pantoja gets 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 with an instant classic against Brandon Moreno at UFC 290, before defending the title against the likes of Steve Erceg, Brandon Royval and Kai Asakura.
Van wants to dethrone Pantoja after recent victories over Royval, Bruno Silva and Rei Tsuruya. With a win on Saturday, he becomes the first UFC fighter to win a championship from Myanmar.
Meanwhile, Pantoja recently exited a potential move to bantamweight after UFC 323 to challenge for a second title. A win at UFC 323 would put Pantoja one step closer to the flyweight GOAT debate.
#VIDEO #Alexandre #Pantoja #heartfelt #message #son #ahead #UFC #title #fight #BJPenn.com