Alexandre Pantoja’s indomitable run as Flyweight champion came to an unceremonious halt at the UFC 323 co-main event. In just 26 seconds, ‘The Cannibal’ broke his elbow, an injury that ended up making Joshua Van the second-youngest UFC champion after Jon Jones. After the brutal moment, it looked like the Brazilian would need a long time to recover from the damaged tendon and ligaments. However, there’s excellent news coming out of the Pantoja tent.

After Dana White initially revealed at the UFC 323 post-fight presser that Pantoja actually hurt his shoulder and not his elbow, the former 125-pound champ’s coach, Marcos Parrumpa, shared a very different update. According to the ATT coach, the Rio native did injure his elbow, something that was also visible during the UFC 323 replay. Moreover, Parrumpa added that surgery was a possibility if things worsened. Thankfully, the Brazilian maestro will not need to undergo surgery and is now expected to make his comeback in mid-2026. 

Alexandre Pantoja expected to return in mid-2026

“This is according to his team, Alex Pantoja will not need surgery. I have been told he would not need surgery. Just the tendons were affected. No fractures, ligaments are intact. No surgery, hoping that he would return maybe mid to third quarter of 2026. But that’s incredible news to one Alex Pantoja,” Ariel Helwani said on his show. 

That’s definitely an excellent update, considering how the former flyweight champion is an all-time great in the UFC, and fans will be excited to see him back. However, there’s a real chance he could end up fighting a completely different opponent than Joshua Van, and there’s a reason for that.

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At UFC 323, White revealed that the promotion had been considering an immediate defense following Pantoja’s injury. The CEO seemed open to the newly crowned 125-pound champion defending his title in Japan against Tatsuro Taira. But Manel Kape’s first-round knockout of Brandon Royval at UFC Vegas 112 completely changed the equation. On top of that, the Portuguese standout and Joshua Van have verbally agreed to fight in Houston, leaving the promotion with some intriguing options.

So, if Alexandre Pantoja returns in the middle or third quarter of the year, likely around July or August, he could face either of those contenders for the belt. It also looks like the Brazilian already understands that reality and has started taking the first steps toward preparing for his anticipated return. 

‘The Cannibal’ starts recovery training   

Although Alexandre Pantoja won’t need to go under the knife, he will still be in recovery mode, at least for the first couple of months. But that doesn’t mean the former 125-pound king is taking things lightly. Taking to social media, ‘The Cannibal’ shared a glimpse of his first day back in the gym, getting some work in with the weights.

“Victory is being built everyday. And I have to be better than I was yesterday. I am my only opponent. Gratitude to everything! 🙌”, Pantoja posted on Instagram. In the video, the 35-year-old ex-champ did some basic weight training.

In another clip, he was also doing some light sparring, seemingly focusing more on kicks with limited use of his injured hand. The speed of his recovery stunned fans, who are now calling for a rematch with Van as soon as ‘The Cannibal’ is back in fighting shape.

That said, now that we have a projected timeline for Alexandre Pantoja’s return, who do you think he fights next? Is it Joshua Van or someone else entirely? Let us know in the comments section below.