Alexandre Pantoja is excited and willing to replace Joshua Van in a UFC title fight.

Alexandre pantoja In an interview with Joe Rogan. Photo: Reproduction/X

Alexandre pantojaApparently, he considered replacing Joshua Van in the co-main event of UFC 327, scheduled for April 11th. The current flyweight champion (up to 56,7 kg) was scheduled to face Tatsuro Taira no card scheduled for Miami, but became unable to perform.Therefore, the fight was rescheduled for UFC 328 on May 9th in New Jersey. Even so, should an opportunity arise, the former Brazilian champion has already shown he is ready to step in.

After the news of the departure of Joshua Van do UFC 327The champion wasted no time and spoke out on social media. In a video posted, Pantoja revealed his current weight, appearing on the scale at 149 pounds (approximately 67,6 kg), indicating that he was close to being in fighting condition.

???? Alexandre pantoja just posted a video of him stepping on the scale following the news of Joshua Van's withdrawal 👀

He weighs 149 lbs a week out from UFC 327

(via @Pantojamma) https://t.co/Vn3bNgcOvX pic.twitter.com/U7TfFD42eZ

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 5, 2026

Alexandre Pantoja had already considered being a reserve fighter at UFC 327.

Alexandre pantoja got injured in UFC 323Photo: UFC Eurasia

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In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Pantoja, who lost the title to Joshua Van Due to an injury, he revealed that he was contacted by the UFC at the end of January to assess the possibility of returning at the April event. At the time, the fighter understood that he would need more recovery time and indicated that he would only be ready around June.

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As the weeks passed, however, the scenario changed. Between the end of February and the beginning of March, the Brazilian stated that he felt ready to return to the octagon and admitted that he could have accepted the fight if he had been called upon again, even as a last-minute replacement.

“The UFC asked me about the fight, you know, but as far as I remember that was at the end of January, and at that point, it was like two months ago. I said no, like, maybe I could fight in June, you know. But after that, a month later, at the end of February, beginning of March, I think I was ready to fight. If someone called me, maybe I would be ready to fight in Miami… If the guys called me now and said someone dropped out… yeah. Maybe I would say I’m in,” said Alexander Pantoja.