Having endured the mental and physical grind of making four title defenses over a two-year span as champion heading into his first meeting with Joshua Van last December at UFC 323, Alexandre Pantoja had envisioned a month's long vacation as a reward to himself for all of his hard work and sacrifices.
But Pantoja's fifth defense of his 125-pound title didn't exactly go as planned. The Brazilian legend suffered a freak dislocated elbow just 26 seconds into the fight after Van caught a high kick attempt and pushed him to the ground to cause the injury and a changing of the guard atop the division thanks to the TKO win.
Instead of a vacation, the 36-year-old Pantoja quickly found himself back in the gym just two days later with one arm in a sling and a new mindset that has led him into Saturday's rematch, when the pair of flyweights headline UFC 331 in Los Angeles (9 p.m. ET, Paramount+).
"I [went back] to the gym because I knew if I take too much time off, it's going to be very tough to get back to my shape and this level," Pantoja told CBS Sports during an August sitdown in Philadelphia before the UFC 331 introductory press conference. "Since my injury, I haven't stopped. I was back to training with one arm in the gym and doing physical therapy. I think my right hand is very powerful now."
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A native of Rio de Janeiro who elevated his career to the next level when he moved himself and his family to Florida in 2018 to train full-time at American Top Team, Pantoja (30-6) has taken umbrage with how quickly everyone has seemed to move on from everything he accomplished as flyweight champion.
Despite not losing his title in the traditional way following the 26-second defeat due to injury, Pantoja was dropped from the UFC's pound-for-pound rankings despite previously reaching No. 4 thanks to an 8-fight win streak late in his career that elevated Pantoja from dangerous everyman to one of the most decorated champions in the promotional history.
Part of that was due to the seemingly overnight success of Van (17-2), a 24-year-old native of Mynamar who fights out of Houston and has been quickly labeled as one of the breakout stars of the sport. Van rebounded from a 2024 knockout loss to Charles Johnson by winning seven consecutive fights over the next two years, including a Fight of the Year against Brandon Royval in 2025 and an all-action title defense against Tatsuro Taira in May that ended in a thrilling fifth-round TKO.
"[Van] didn't beat me, he didn't beat me. It's not about that. I lost for myself [due to the injury,]" Pantoja said. "I have 20 years of professional fighting, I never made a drill to push someone to break their arm like that. He didn't beat me. I know, like an athlete, I lost the fight and I know I lost my belt. I'm not the champion anymore. But it's not as if someone beat me."
In 2020, Pantoja was a three-year UFC veteran with a record of just 6-3 inside the Octagon. But his eventual 8-fight win streak began with a 2021 win over Manel Kape and continued through an emotional 2023 title win over Brandon Moreno by split decision in which Pantoja traded punches with savage intent for five full rounds in a back-and-forth slugfest.
Pantoja's run to becoming UFC champion at age 33 was considered a feel-good story but few could've predicted he would go on the title reign that followed as "The Cannibal" proved the old adage true of becoming noticeably better as champion. Throughout four title defenses, Pantoja evolved into an efficient and technical finisher with a well-rounded game who was worthy of the P4P recognition he received by becoming the first men's flyweight in UFC history to win a title bout after turning 35.
"People maybe don't give me the recognition," Pantoja said. "I fought the best fighters in my division. I beat some guys three times. I had eight [wins] in a row with the best fighters. I beat Manel Kape, Brandon Royval, Brandon Moreno, Kai Kara-France. The [UFC] brought Kai Asakura from another promotion and I beat him this guy, too.
"I don't have a lot of recognition but, for me, it's OK. What I want is to be the best fighter in the world. I try to be that guy everyday in my life because I'm training very hard and Joshua Van can be sure I want [the rematch] more than ever."
While Pantoja is likely too proud to blast boxing legend Roy Jones Jr.'s 2002 rap song "Y'all Must've Forgot" as his walkout music this weekend but it's clear this humble warrior has a distinct chip on his shoulder and is motivated to remind everyone, even at 36, who he still is.
Pantoja, who was nearly a 3-to-1 betting favorite against Van last December, now finds himself as the betting underdog entering the rematch. And if former flyweight champion Henry Cejudo deserves credit for ultimately saving the 125-pound division in the aftermath of Demetrious Johnson's legendary title reign, when UFC brass was considering folding it, Pantoja deserves the respect for bringing consistency to it following a memorable four-fight series between Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo when the belt constantly switched hands.
"I sacrificed a lot about my life and I think I'm one of the best fighters in the world," Pantoja said. "I have this opportunity right now against Joshua Van and you have a lot of new fans coming in with this deal with Paramount. It's so good for everybody. This new generation of fans is so interactive on the internet, everybody supports Joshua Van so well. Everything has changed since my last fight.
"I have a champion to fight, I don't have a challenger. Joshua Van is the champion and I have nothing to lose in this fight. I have had this position before. I'm not going to be afraid of excuses, I go to conquer."
