"Champion Pantoja came out looking for a fast start, firing a leg kick and getting into a few early exchanges with Van. That hot start and frantic pace backfired for "The Cannibal" however, as the fight ended as quickly as it started. Pantoja fired a head kick, then went off-balance, falling to the mat. He tried to post on his arm, which appeared to either dislocate or break in the process. An injury TKO ensued as a result, with Pantoja unable to continue, leaving Joshua Van as the winner by default."
"A terrible turn of events of everyone except Joshua Van, who is now the new UFC flyweight champion - the second youngest UFC champion at 24, behind Jon Jones, in history. No question, that fight will need to be run back once Alexandre Pantoja is healthy. While Van did push Pantoja while he was going down, there's little question this one was a freak injury more than anything. "He's one of the greatest of all time, I didn't want the fight to go that way," Van told Joe Rogan post-fight."
Alexandre Pantoja entered UFC 323 seeking a fifth flyweight title defense but suffered a catastrophic arm injury 26 seconds into the co-main event. He started aggressively with leg kicks and exchanges before a head kick caused him to lose balance and fall, appearing to dislocate or break his arm while posting on it. The bout was ruled an injury TKO with Pantoja unable to continue, awarding Joshua Van the flyweight title by default. Van, 24, becomes the second-youngest UFC champion in history. A rematch is expected once Pantoja recovers, as the injury appeared to be a freak accident.
Read at Cageside Press
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