There is a calmness to Alexandre Pantoja this week as he readies to make his return to the Octagon in a championship rematch with Joshua Van that headlines Crypto.com UFC 331 in Los Angeles this weekend.
While you might envision the Brazilian challenger to be amped up and buzzing with excitement, intensity or both, the returning 36-year-old is instead operating from a place of appreciation — grateful for the opportunity in front of him and the chance to experience fight week as the challenger for the first time, in the city where his professional dreams took a major step forward.
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“I feel super-excited, super-happy to come to (Los Angeles),” Pantoja said. “It’s the first city I came to in America. It’s so nice coming here — I have some friends sending me photos from banners in the streets, and it’s so nice to have that.
“I came here in 2014 to start my dream, start my whole career, and back to L.A. to have this opportunity after 10 months (is great).
“The first time when I fought with (Brandon) Moreno, it’s all my life in this moment; I fought my whole life, did a lot of sacrifices for this moment,” continued the former champion, who claimed the title from Moreno at UFC 290 in the summer of 2023.
“Right now, I can enjoy it much more. I have a lot of opportunities, more money to take care of me, my family; I have my family always with me. I feel more prepared for this right now.
“When I fought with Moreno, there was a lot of heart in there — I put my heart on the line — and fought with just my heart and soul. Now, I can enjoy, and I can fight with my head too; more technical. I think this is gonna make a difference for me.
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“This position I have right now, I really want to enjoy this moment.”
The circumstances surrounding Pantoja’s second opportunity to challenge for the UFC flyweight title couldn’t be more different, as that initial meeting with Moreno was the culmination of years of hard work and a lengthy winning streak; his chance to finally prove to himself and everyone else that he was the best fighter in the division.
This time around, he arrives as a former champion; one who lost the title due to aninjury and was competing at an elite level prior to his first encounter with Van.
Once an unheralded standout of the division, Pantoja has entered the conversation as one of the two best flyweight champions in UFC history, with his strength of schedule making the discussion about who should hold top position in the hierarchy, him or Demetrious Johnson, more complex than most may expect.
The way Pantoja has worked his way back to full health while patiently awaiting this rematch with Van has been admirable —the Brazilian standout has seldom looked to detract from Van’s standing as champion or diminish what he’s done inside the Octagon.
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Instead, he’s been appreciative of the 24-year-old titleholder’s effort, praising his performance against Tatsuro Taira and respecting the fact that the confident Houston-based fighter has been his authentic self in the lead-up to their second meeting this weekend.
“That’s an amazing fight,” he said when asked about Van’s fifth-round stoppage win over Taira at UFC 328 earlier this year. “I liked the fight — it’s a high-level fight — and whenever I have the opportunity, I like to say the flyweight division is one of the more entertaining divisions in the UFC, and that was an amazing fight.
“I like to see him get a title defense before we fight because this makes this more real; he’s the champion of the world, and now it’s for real,” continued Pantoja. “He’s the champion of the world and I’m going to face off with the champion of the world; I like that, I like this opportunity.
“I’m the challenger here. I have this position all my life, and I like it; it makes this moment much better.
“When I was very young, my dream was to fight with the best fighters in the world,” he added. “UFC gave me this opportunity, and Saturday night, I have this opportunity again to fight with the best fighter in the world. It’s Joshua Van right now and I want to show everybody I’m the best. I’m glad to have this opportunity.”
To his credit, the injury, which looked more gruesome than it ended up being, didn’t deter Pantoja at all.
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While the shock of the incident took a few minutes to subside, as soon as he was clear-headed and back home in south Florida, he was immediately focused on getting started on his rehab, getting back into the gym, and getting himself to the position he’s at now just of days away from running it back with Van.
“The first 20 minutes after my injury is the worst, but after that, I realize what opportunity I have,” began Pantoja, who carries a 30-6 record into Saturday’s main event. “I know I need to recover; I don’t have time to lose because if I take some time off, I’m not gonna be in good shape when I come back, and I think that’s one of the best decisions I made... Two days after my injury, after my fight, I (was back in the gym) — I started to do physical therapy, lift with just one arm.
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“This gives me a lot of motivation, and all of that is a gift for me,” he added. “I’m here today to accomplish this mission, and Saturday night is gonna be the day. I want to be champ one more time.”
But the Brazilian standout doesn’t want to just stop at being champion for a second time.
As one of only a handful of flyweights that remained on the roster when the division was under the microscope back in 2018, Pantoja has been present throughout its Phoenix-like rise from the ashes and worked his way to the top by facing most of the top contenders at the time.
Now, with the division as robust and competitive as it has ever been, and the rankings populated with a number of new names, the veteran is keen to reclaim his title on Saturday and then set about taking on the new wave of competition climbing the ranks as well.
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“I struggled a lot in my life and when people said, ‘Maybe the UFC is gonna delete this division,’ I was very afraid,” recalled Pantoja, who landed on the roster following his participation on Season 24 of The Ultimate Fighter. “Everything in my life was for this opportunity. I can’t imagine — this is my job, this is my dream, this is how I feed my family, and I think all that is always with me. I protect this division, show everybody how exciting we are, high-level skills... To have the flyweights have this recognition is amazing for me. That it’s the main event, I have this opportunity — so many good things we have in the flyweight division, so many good names. I fought everybody in the Top 10 and now when I see the rankings again, it’s all new, and I want to stay here to fight everybody again.”
First, he has a reunion with Van to navigate, and after nine months on the sidelines waiting for this day to arrive, Pantoja is primed to put his entire being into reclaiming the flyweight title and hearing “… and New!” for a second time on Saturday night.
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“I want to put my game, everything I did in the gym (into practice),” he said coolly when asked about the fight itself and what he needs to do in order to have success. “I have so many good training partners, the best gym in the world, so many amazing coaches with me; my family supports me, and I think all that comes with me into the Octagon... Everybody is going to watch the best version of me."
“My last two fights before Joshua Van, I finished both guys and they’re both good strikers... I think I did pretty good in the striking zone, but the fights ended with my jiu-jitsu, and I go with everything I have to win this fight.”
Crypto.com UFC 331: Van vs Pantoja 2 took place live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California on September 19, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
