After the UFC 323 co-main event, everyone agreed on two things: Joshua Van should not have celebrated an injury TKO win the way he did, and Alexandre Pantoja‘s elbow injury should not have been replaying on loop on the broadcast. But the biggest surprise came after the PPV, when Megan Olivi, and later, Dana White himself, announced that it was a shoulder dislocation that took Pantoja out and not an elbow injury. That claim has now backfired on the pair.

Dana White was watching cageside as Pantoja attempted a head kick on Van, who caught the leg and took him off balance. Pantoja put one hand down to try to soften the fall. His arm couldn’t support the weight, and his elbow gave in with a disgusting bend. The referee stepped in to stop the fight at once as Pantoja lay on his back, clutching his elbow. Van left the Octagon as the new flyweight champion without ever having to put up a fight.

For anyone who was watching, it was clear that it was Pantoja’s left elbow that blew out. His arm was in such a poor position that the view made it impossible not to cringe, with stars like Sean O’Malley, Tom Aspinall, and Israel Adesanya looking away from the screens during the replays. Max Holloway went as far as to announce his frustration on X.

However, ESPN’s Megan Olivi was the one who, through the broadcast, presented a totally opposite situation of Pantoja’s injury as suggested by the UFC’s chief medical physician, Dr. Jeff Davidson. In fact, he assured that the shoulder had dislocated and then popped back into place spontaneously. The announcement was at odds with what the viewers had just witnessed, and confusion quickly ensued.

Support for the earlier report came from Dana White at the post-fight press conference. “They popped his shoulder back in,” White said. “I thought it was the elbow. No, it was not the elbow — it was his shoulder, and they popped it back in backstage. Now they’ve got to do MRIs and check out the ligaments and see how it is. We don’t have a timeframe on how long he’ll be out.”

But this claim has now been corrected by doctors and Pantoja’s team. It was Pantoja’s elbow that took him out of action. It was obvious to the viewers and the commentators. Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier even raised the point with Olivi during the closing moments of the broadcast.

And White was not content merely to inform the audience. He went further, declaring that it was likely that Pantoja would be sidelined for a long time. He also implied the division could move on during his absence. In his opinion, new champion Joshua Van could already defend his title against another finalist, perhaps Tatsuro Taira, before Pantoja’s return.

The disparity that had been created among the visual impact of the injury, the initial medical report, and White’s immediate promotion of the next title shot only served to increase the backlash that came next.

Dana White faces fan backlash after Alexandre Pantoja injury call

Fans posted their comments on Dana White’s remarks regarding Alexandre Pantoja’s injury without holding back. The slow-motion replay showed the elbow damage clearly, but the UFC claimed it was a shoulder dislocation. This contradiction sparked a heated discussion on social media platforms.

The audience doubted the diagnosis, the communication, and even the doctors on duty. The reactions became more and more intense as fans blamed the UFC for softening the impact of the injury and speeding the whole division forward.

One fan commented, “Dana just talks out his a– at the post fight pressers. He said “they popped his shoulder back in backstage.”” To many viewers, Dana sounded overly confident while repeating information that didn’t match the obvious visuals.

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“A blind person could see it was the elbow” — Fans felt the injury was so clearly an elbow issue that the shoulder diagnosis made no sense.

Dr. Brian Sutterer, who reviews sports injuries, responded to Ariel Helwani’s report, writing, “This is an embarrassing look for the UFC… Did the ringside doctors really tell leadership it was a shoulder and specifically not the elbow? Also, Dana said the shoulder was popped back in in the locker room but clearly this was never done…”

Another viewer added, “We watched it happen in slow-mo 100 times. We know it was the elbow.” Every replay showed the elbow collapsing, so fans were stunned when the broadcast pushed a shoulder narrative. Some reactions got sharper, like “The UFC doctor needs to be fired.”

What did you make of the initial revelation about the injury? And when do you think we will see ‘The Cannibal’ back in the cage again? Let us know in the comments.