UFC star gets major health update after losing UFC belt to brutal injury

Fans can expect to see Alexandre Pantoja return to the Octagon later this year after a nasty injury cost him his flyweight title at UFC 323.

With three title defenses already to his name heading into 2025, Pantoja continued building his case as one of the greatest flyweights in MMA history when he defeated Kai Kara-France via third-round submission in June.

The 35-year-old had a chance to close out the year with a fifth title defense when he was matched with Joshua Van in the co-main event of UFC 323, but unfortunately Pantoja injured his arm just 26 seconds into the fight and lost via TKO.

Alexandre Pantoja Won't Need Surgery On Injured Arm

Fans were concerned in the immediate aftermath of UFC 323 that Pantoja’s injury might keep him out for an extended period, but this week Ariel Helwani provided a huge update on the former champion’s status.

“I can break this news, this is according to his team,” Helwani said. “Alex Pantoja will not need surgery. I have been told he will not need surgery. Just the tendons were affected, no fractures, ligaments are intact. No surgery, hoping that he’ll return maybe mid to third quarter of 2026.”

Alexandre Pantoja (red gloves) reacts after breaking an arm against Joshua Van (blue gloves) during UFC 323 at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

It looked like a near-certainty that Pantoja had broken his arm when MMA fans watched the injury happen in real time, but it didn’t take long for “The Cannibal” to return to the gym for weight training before a more recent video also showed him slowly working back into MMA.

Will The UFC Wait For The Van vs. Pantoja Rematch?

The UFC 323 co-main event was an anticlimactic end to Pantoja’s largely dominant title reign, and UFC CEO Dana White was quick to say the promotion would ideally like to book an immediate rematch depending on the severity of the Brazilian’s injury and his anticipated recovery time.

Based on Helwani’s reported timeline, it would be no surprise to see the UFC opt to book newly-crowned UFC Flyweight Champion Van into his first title defense before Pantoja returns. The 24-year-old only joined the UFC in mid-2023, but he’s already amassed a 9-1 record in the promotion and competed four times in 2025.

Joshua Van (blue gloves) reacts after the fight against Alexandre Pantoja (red gloves) during UFC 323 at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Manel Kape made a strong case for what would be his first UFC title shot when he closed out the UFC’s 2025 schedule by stopping former interim titleholder Brandon Royval at UFC Vegas 112, and Tatsuro Taira also stands out as a potential opponent for Van after he defeated two-time UFC Flyweight Champion Brandon Moreno immediately before “The Fearless” entered the cage to challenge Pantoja.

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