Better safe than sorry…
Following UFC 331 last night (Saturday, September 19, 2026) at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, promotion officials confirmed that MMAmania.com that two fighters were taken to a local hospital for precautionary evaluation after being injured in the attacks.
These fighters were former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) flyweight champions Alexandre Pantoja and a veteran lightweight Alonzo Menifield.
Pantoja (30-7) was taken for a precautionary CT scan of his head and face after the five-round loss in the title rematch. Joshua Van.
“The Cannibal” absorbed significant damage throughout the superpowered fight, especially during the championship rounds. The silver lining is that Pantoja servedNight fight” honors and an additional $100,000 bonus, which should help ease at least some of the pain.
Pantoja is now lost consecutive fights for the first time in his legendary 36-fight career. Prior to his current bout, the Brazilian had won eight in a row, capturing the flyweight championship and successfully defending it four times.
Menifield (19-6-1) was transported to X-ray as a precaution after suffering. what appeared to be a horribly broken thumb during his split victory over a previously undefeated prospect Iwo Baraniewski.
The injury occurred during the first round when Menifield’s thumb was visibly mangled and the bone appeared to be protruding through the skin. The ring doctor examined the injury before the third round but cleared Menifield to continue.
Somehow, the 38-year-old battled through the pain and handed Baraniewski the first loss of his professional career.
Menifield has quietly put together a great run in the twilight of his career, taking out one promising light heavyweight prospect after another. In addition to Baraniewski, he transferred Oumar Sy and Julius Walker his first professional losses and a knockout Zhang Mingyang earlier this year.
He is now 4-1 in his last five meetings.
At the time of publication, the results of Pantoja’s scans and Menifield’s X-rays had not been made public.
This is normal for the UFC to transport fighters to the hospital as a precaution, especially when fighters engage in three-round fights full of damage or after a nasty knockout.
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Click through for coverage and highlights for complete UFC 331 results HERE.
