Alexandre
Pantoja is eager to reclaim the
Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title.

The former 125-pound champion has been sidelined since suffering an
arm injury in his title defense against Joshua Van
at
UFC 323 last year. “The Cannibal” has now fully healed and
believes he is ready to run it back with Van.

Alexandre Pantoja says he’s fully recovered and wants another
shot at UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van.

Pantoja suffered an arm injury very early into his fight with Van,
who caught his kick and forced him backwards before the Brazilian
awkwardly posted up on his hand. The referee stopped the bout at 26
seconds, with Pantoja clearly in pain, clutching his arm. His
recovery is now complete and he's targeting an Octagon return.

“I’m ready,†Pantoja told MMA Fighting. “After December, what happened to
my arm, two days after that, I went to the gym, started training
with just one arm. That’s who I am. I’m not done. I’m not done. I
have so much to conquer. I have so much to prove. I want to take
the belt again. I want to be UFC champion one more time.â€

After his anticlimactic title-winning effort, Van successfully
defended the flyweight crown with a fifth-round stoppage of
Tatsuro
Taira at
UFC 328. Pantoja has now praised the champion’s performance and
believes the division has gotten more interesting during his
absence.

“Flyweight is better than ever,” Pantoja said. “I think what
happened with me last year made the division more fire. Now I have
the opportunity to take over and beat everybody again.”

While he accepts the result of his loss to Van, Pantoja believes
he's still the better fighter.

“Of course, I have unfinished business with Joshua Van. As an
athlete, I know I lost the fight,†he added. “That happened. But
like a man, I don’t think he beat me. I’m still here. I’m ready to
fight. I’m in amazing shape. Let’s see what happens next.â€

Valter
Walker believes one of his teammates is going to be an
Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder soon.

Walker's friend and teammate, Bogdan
Guskov, is scheduled to face Magomed
Ankalaev in a light heavyweight outing, the main event of

UFC Abu Dhabi on July 25. Guskov took the fight on 14 days'
notice after Ankalaev's original opponent, Khalil
Rountree, pulled out due to an injury.

Walker backs Gor MMA teammate ahead of short-notice fight with
Magomed Ankalaev

Guskov is a big betting underdog going into the fight against
Ankalaev, who is a massive -500 favorite on some sportsbooks.
However, Walker is backing his friend to pull off a huge upset win
over the former light heavyweight champion. The Brazilian
heavyweight predicts that Guskov will knock out Ankalaev in the
second round. He also believes Guskov will go on to become the
first UFC champion from their gym, Gor
MMA.

“Bogdan is certainly a talent,†Walker told Red Corner MMA. “He's
simply a machine. I think there's a great chance that he will shock
the world. I think he can definitely win. I think Bogdan is going
to be our first UFC champion in Gor MMA. I think he might knock
Ankalaev out in the second round… I train with Bogdan every day,
so I know what he's capable of.â€

Guskov (18-3) hasn't lost in five straight outings since suffering
a submission loss in his UFC debut in 2023. The Uzbek 205-pounder
scored four straight finishes before fighting former champion
Jan
Blachowicz to a majority draw this past December. Meanwhile,
Ankalaev (20-2) lost his title to Alex
Pereira in their rematch in his last Octagon outing, marking
his second defeat in the UFC after he, too, was finished in his
promotional debut back in 2018.

Walker (15-1) takes on Thomas
Petersen (11-4) in a heavyweight matchup on the same card. “The
Foot Hunter” has finished four straight fights with heel hooks
since suffering his lone professional loss in his UFC debut in
2024. Meanwhile, Petersen has consistently alternated between wins
and losses in his six UFC outings.

Valter
Walker believes his teammate Bogdan
Guskov has what it takes to shock the world when he faces
Magomed
Ankalaev in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi on July 25.

“Bogdan is a talent. He's simply a machine,†Walker told Red Corner
MMA.

“I think he's going to shock the world.… pic.twitter.com/ye8pdZS90x

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA)
July 19, 2026

Cain
Velasquez has heaped praise on Islam
Makhachev.

Velasquez considers Makhachev an extraordinary athlete who has
reached the pinnacle of the sport. From conversations with his
coach, Javier Mendez, Velasquez knows that the
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight king is a hard
worker in the gym.

Cain Velasquez explains why Islam Makhachev continues to
dominate under Javier Mendez

Having been honed into a champion himself by Mendez, Velasquez
knows that Makhachev is in good hands with the
American Kickboxing Academy coach. The Hall of Famer and former
UFC heavyweight champion believes the Dagestani will continue his
dominant title run.

“[Islam] is a special type of athlete,†Velasquez told Red Corner
MMA. “He's one of the guys at the pinnacle of this sport. I talk
with Javier all the time, and Islam and those guys are always doing
great. They are in great hands. Javier is the one who builds
champions… I see Islam continuing to do what he's been doing, and
that's winning impressively. He's somebody who has mastered all
aspects of MMA.â€

Velasquez was the flagbearer for AKA before the likes of Daniel
Cormier, Luke
Rockhold and Khabib
Nurmagomedov won gold in the UFC. Makhachev is the latest to
bring a UFC championship to the gym.

Makhachev (28-1) is undefeated in 16 straight UFC outings since his
lone professional loss in 2015. He defended the UFC lightweight
title four times, the most in the division's history, before moving
up to welterweight and dominantly dethroning Jack
Della Maddalena to win the 170-pound title.

Makhachev is now set to defend his welterweight title for the first
time against Ian Garry
(17-1) at UFC
330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Center in Philadelphia. A
successful title defense will see the Russian break the record for
the longest win streak in the history of the Octagon.

Cain
Velasquez believes Islam
Makhachev will continue his dominant run at UFC 330, calling
him one of the sport's most complete fighters and saying he has
mastered every aspect of MMA.

“Islam is a special type of athlete. He's one of the guys at the
pinnacle of this sport,â€â€¦ pic.twitter.com/e22KOCtVCo

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA)
July 19, 2026