Ultimate Fighting Championship title reign.
Pantoja suffered the injury just 26 seconds into the championship bout Joshua Van
last December. Van caught the then-champion’s punch and forced him backwards, forcing the latter to use his arm as a frame as he hit the canvas, causing an injury. The anti-climactic ending of the fight did not initially sit well with Pantoja, who now sees it differently.
Alexandre Pantoja explains how Joshua Van’s injury loss changed his approach ahead of UFC 331
Before their rematch at UFC 331Pantoja said the injury ultimately changed his perspective and allowed him to return to the championship with a different mindset.
“I think after those 20 minutes I’m already over it and focused on what I have to do to get back,” Pantoja said in an interview
Bet. “I’m a very quick learner and I really understood what I needed to do. I feel like it was such a gift from God to be able to lose like that and come back to have a chance to go again and get the championship back. I’m training a lot better now. I’m eating better, I’m trying to sleep better and I have good people working with me. It allows me to focus a lot more.”
While the dynamic between Pantoja and Van was amicable in their first clash, bad blood is brewing in the rematch.