Summary
Pantoja and Van face off tensely at UFC. Photo: Getty Images/Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC
Recovered from his arm injury and with a 'hunger for fighting', Alexandre Pantoja transformed himself at the press conference to promote UFC 331. At the ceremony held this Friday (14), in Philadelphia (USA), the always calm Brazilian, former king of the flyweight division (up to 56,7 kg), showed his wild side to champion Joshua Van . The athletes will face each other for the second time on September 19, in California.
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Defeated in December due to a serious arm injury, Pantoja was determined to settle the score with the Burmese fighter. From the moment Van interrupted him, the Brazilian began arguing with him. Visibly irritated with his tormentor, the veteran not only demanded respect but also threatened him. When the champion didn't obey and continued mocking him, 'The Cannibal' went on the offensive, and only stopped because Dana White, president of the UFC, intervened.
The atmosphere between the top flyweights is so hostile that they continued arguing at the press conference. Unsurprisingly, the face-off between Pantoja and Van was tense, increasing the hype for the highly anticipated rematch.
1rd discussion
Joshua Van : “What’s done is done. I’m going to beat him up on September 19th. Even if the injury hadn’t happened, I would still beat him up that day. So, September 19th is just another opportunity to beat him up again.”
Alexandre Pantoja : “First, I think he needs to wash his mouth out. I respect where I come from. I'm from Brazil, and in Brazil, you need to be careful what you say. Otherwise, you might end up losing your teeth. I lost my belt, he's the champion, but as a man, he didn't defeat me. On the 19th we have that opportunity.”
“I want to fight the best in the world. I just want to thank Dana White and the UFC for making my dream come true. I was just a kid from Brazil. Now I'm a man. I brought my family to America and I'm living my dream. I fight the best fights in the world. I've been doing this for almost 20 years. I fought guys from all over the world before losing the belt. I have an eight-fight winning streak, I beat Manel…”
Van: “Talk about the struggle. We're not here to hear your story. We're here for the struggle. Let's go!”
Pantoja: "Hey, kid, when someone's talking, you stay quiet."
Van: "Shut up!"
Pantoja: "Did you understand?"
Van: “Shut up! What are you going to do about it? You're not going to do shit! Sit down! You're not going to do shit! Someone give him some milk!”
Pantoja: “Hey, kid, September 19th. You’re gonna be locked in the octagon with me.”
The rematch is personal 🔥 @JoshuaVanBT vs @PantojaMMA 2
[ #CryptoCom #UFC331 | LIVE SEP 19 on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/W9csQdM0HI
— UFC (@ufc) August 14, 2026
2rd discussion
Joshua Van : “He’s mad. The older one is mad because I have his belt. Look at him. You look good, huh?”
Alexandre Pantoja : “Outside the octagon it’s different from inside. I’m Pantoja, the Cannibal. I know what I need to do. I get more nervous here than in the octagon. You can see that speaking English is still new to me. With all these people in front of me… But, when I enter the octagon, I know what I’m doing and Van does too, because that kick to the head made him suffer. When he saw that I hurt my arm and that I’m trying to fix it during the fight…”
Van: "Is the guy trying to fix it? No need to say anything more. You made the sign like a b****!"
Pantoja: "I don't mean to disrespect you, but enough talk. Shut up!"
Van: "You're not going to hit anyone."
Pantoja: “I thought Myanmar had manners. Show that to the world. When I suffered the arm injury, Van saw it, realized I was going to fix it and come back to finish him off. Then, he tried to punch me when he saw my injured arm. But on September 19th, I will have the opportunity to clear up all doubts. Learn to respect and keep your mouth shut.”
3rd discussion
Alexandre Pantoja : “No, nothing about Joshua surprised me. He tried to create this character, tries to act tough, but from what I see, he's just a kitten. He's scared.”
Joshua Van : "I'm not afraid of anything."
Pantoja: "Blah, blah, blah, I'm very tough"
Van: “My nickname is Fearless. I'm not afraid of you.”
Pantoja: “On September 19th, I’m going to put on a show for everyone. Everyone knows my skills. I didn’t lose my belt because someone beat me. I lost my belt because of the accident. If Joshua wants to prove he can beat me, he has until September 19th to do it.”
“I sincerely hope that Van trains hard and gives me the opportunity to fight the best fighter in the world, because you have the belt and I worked very hard to win that belt and defend it four times. Now, I want to see if you are a real man.”
Face-off between Pantoja and Van
UNFINISHED BUSINESS @JoshuaVanBT vs @PantojaMMA 2
[ #CryptoCom #UFC331 | LIVE SEP 19 on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/Ypx9nZsnQk
— UFC (@ufc) August 14, 2026
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