What happened in this episode?
Alexandre Pantoja spoke to media ahead of his rematch with flyweight champion Joshua Van in Los Angeles, reflecting on a roughly 10-month spell away from competition after what he described as a bad dislocation. Pantoja said he returned to the gym within days of the first bout because he did not want to lose his “high level” form, and argued the flyweight division is entering a “new era” with fresh names and greater respect from UFC audiences.
He addressed their recent promotional friction, recounting that during a press conference in Philadelphia he felt Van had been disrespectful and said he considered “slap[ping]” him before Dana White intervened. Pantoja also pushed back on the idea that his previous loss can be explained purely by injury, claiming that even in the opening moments he was scoring more and describing it as “like a unanimous decision” in his favour before his arm was hurt, while acknowledging the official result.
On divisional matchmaking, Pantoja said Manel Kape should be next for the belt and added he would like that fight. He discussed training at American Top Team alongside Arman Tsarukyan and praised their shared coach. Pantoja also spoke about being written off by younger fans and said underdog odds motivate him, while describing himself as shy and family-focused outside the sport.
