"There will be a defense" - Dana White doesn't expect Alexandre Pantoja to return soon after UFC 323 injury

Dana White (left) believes Alexandre Pantoja (right) is in for a long recovery process. [Images courtesy: Getty Images]
Dana White (left) believes Alexandre Pantoja (right) is in for a long recovery process. [Images courtesy: Getty Images]

It looks like Alexandre Pantoja will be sidelined for a while after suffering a gruesome injury at UFC 323. Dana White shared the bad news during the post-fight press conference.

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According to White, the promotion is not aiming for an immediate rematch and intends to make the newly crowned flyweight king Joshua Van defend the title at least once before 'The Cannibal' returns.

Sharing an update on Pantoja and his bewilderment about the injury diagnosis, White said:

"They popped his shoulder back in. I thought it was the elbow. No, it was not his elbow, it was his shoulder... Now they've got to do the MRIs, and check out the ligaments, and see how it is. So, we don't have a time frame on how long he'll be out. No matter what happens, listen, I'm not a doctor or anything, but I don't see him coming back anytime soon. I think there will be a [title] defense before he comes back. I think he's going to need some time."
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Check out Dana White's comments below:

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At UFC 323, Pantoja came out aggressively from the opening bell. Things turned awry quickly, as he slipped and fell after a head kick attempt. When he tried to break the fall with his left hand, he suffered a dislocation, forcing the referee to call the fight at 26 seconds of Round 1, granting Van a TKO win by default.

According to the UFC medical team, the fighter suffered a left shoulder dislocation with spontaneous reduction. This means the fighter's shoulder popped out, but then slipped back in without needing to be manually reset by a doctor.

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With the win at UFC 323, Van has become the first Asian-born male to win an undisputed UFC title. The 24-year-old is the second-youngest fighter, after Jon Jones, to win a world title in the organization.

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Edited by Ujwal Jain
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