Alexandre Pantoja’s fifth flyweight title defense was a prime example of the unpredictability of MMA.
Pantoja was reported to have suffered a shoulder problem in the UFC 323 co-main.
The fight between Joshua Van and him was called off after just 26 seconds of the first round, when it was immediately apparent that the champion was compromised.
Dominick Cruz may believe that the referee intervened too soon, but these types of freak accidents can happen at any level, including the top.
There are only two UFC championship fights which have ended in a similar abrupt and disappointed manner.
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Should this type of fight be banned?
Alexandre Pantoja, who was fighting against Joshua Van in UFC 323, suffered an arm injury 26 seconds into the fight and lost his flyweight championship.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
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Anderson Silva has lost two UFC championship fights due to injuries.
Joe Rogan showed immediate concern for Alexandre Pantoja after the flyweight champion’s shocking injury ended his title defense before 30 seconds had passed.
While we recently saw Tom Aspinall’s fight with Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 end due to eye pokes, UFC 323 was a different scenario.
The sudden end of a title match due to an unfortunate event…
2025-12-08 02:00:00
