A freak injury to defending champion Alexandre Pantoja saw him appear to break or dislocate his elbow as he looked to break his fall after a Van caught a high-kick attempt. The fight was instantly waved off by referee Herb Dean, and Van was crowned champion.
The Final Verdict: Van crowned champion in the worst way possible
Van’s rise to the top of the flyweight division has been an incredible one, and he’s picked up plenty of fans along the way, but his crowning moment ended up being a huge anti-climax.
The manner of the victory, via injury TKO in the opening seconds of the fight, not only saw Pantoja dethroned in a horrible way, it also robbed Van of a true crowning moment.
Megan Olivi provided an official medical update
“There’s been a lot of concern for Alessandra Pantoja. I spoke with the UFC’s chief medical physician, Dr Jeff Davidson. He told me Pantoja had a left shoulder dislocation with spontaneous reduction. What that essentially means is his shoulder was dislocated but went back into place on its own.
“On Monday in Florida, he will go for additional imaging to see the extent of the damage, or if there is other damage that has been incurred, and then he will meet with an orthopedic doctor as well.
“Guys, I do think it’s important to note the fact that we all got to talk to Pantoja. He walked out on his own power in a sling with his wife and kids by his side, obviously very upset at the situation. He got back to his hotel relatively quickly, is resting comfortably, will go back home and get further looks at whatever that damage might be.”
Confusion over injury diagnosis
Olivi’s backstage report immediately prompted confusion in the UFC commentary team, who recalled the clearly visible trauma to Pantoja’s elbow, rather than his shoulder, during the incident.
Joe Rogan said, “It doesn’t even make sense. You saw his elbow literally leave the joint.”
Despite their thoughts, and the replays seemingly backing up their view, the medical verdict was double-checked, with Olivi chasing up and clarifying the initial information provided to her.
In a tweet, the seasoned UFC reporter clarified, “We triple confirmed, yes, we are still being told it’s his shoulder for those asking.”
We triple confirmed, yes, we are still being told it’s his shoulder for those asking
— Megan Olivi (@MeganOlivi) December 7, 2025
What’s next for Joshua Van?
Van now finds himself exactly where he wants to be, as the new UFC flyweight champion, and a rematch with Pantoja is seemingly inevitable. But given the nature of the Brazilian’s injury, it may take some time before the former champion is ready to make his return to the Octagon.
That means Van will likely be tasked with the job of taking on a top contender, with Japan’s Tatsuro Taira’s victory over former champion Brandon Moreno at UFC 323 putting him right in the mix.
Both men are on the same timeline, and both are young, hungry new faces at the top of the flyweight division. Don’t be surprised if that fight gets booked for April or May next year.
UFC 323: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Petr Yan def. Merab Dvalishvili via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) – for bantamweight title
- Joshua Van def. Alexandre Pantoja via TKO (arm injury) – Round 1, 0:26 – for flyweight title
- Tatsuro Taira def. Brandon Moreno via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:24
- Payton Talbott def. Henry Cejudo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jan Blachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov ruled a majority draw (29-28, 28-28, 28-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Manuel Torres def. Grant Dawson via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:25
- Chris Duncan def. Terrance McKinney via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 1, 2:30
- Maycee Barber def. Karine Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Fares Ziam def. Nazim Sadykhov via TKO (elbows and punches) – Round 2, 4:59
EARLY PRELIMS
- Brunno Ferreira def. Marvin Vettori via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jalin Turner def. Edson Barboza via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:24
- Iwo Baraniewski def. Ibo Aslan via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:29
- Mansur Abdul-Malik def. Antonio Trocoli via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:09
- Mairon Santos def. Muhammad Naimov via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:21
