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REPORT: Alexandre Pantoja's return in the works for UFC 331 after year-long hiatus

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REPORT: Alexandre Pantoja's return in the works for UFC 331 after year-long hiatus

Former UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja will get a crack at getting his former title back, reportedly at UFC 331.

After UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van defeated Tatsuro Taira in one of the wildest fights of the year at UFC 328, the current champ seemed destined to run it back with former titleholder Alexander Pantoja. Pantoja lost the UFC flyweight title to Van after suffering an arm injury just minutes into their fight at UFC 317.

Many questioned when Pantoja would return to the Octagon after suffering the injury. Luckily, Pantoja's injury wasn't as severe as first thought, and the future UFC Hall of Famer has been chomping at the bit to get another shot at the current flyweight titleholder.

According to recent reporting, the UFC is planning on booking Van vs. Pantoja 2 for the promotion's rumored return to the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

Alexandre Pantoja set to run it back with Joshua Van after injury in first fight

As first reported by MMA content creator Kevin K on X, Van vs. Pantoja 2 is in the works for UFC 331 on September 19th. As of this writing, the fight hasn't been confirmed by the promotion, and UFC 331 remains without an official main event booked.

If the reporting rings true, Van and Pantoja will clash in one of the biggest fights in UFC flyweight history. Van's stock has risen during Pantoja's hiatus after his instant classic against Taira earlier this year.

Before suffering the arm injury against Van, Pantoja won eight consecutive fights, including a split decision win over Brandon Moreno to win the title at UFC 290. He went on to defend the belt against Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura, and Kai Kara-France before the Van fight.

UFC 331 features a heavyweight matchup between Curtis Blaydes and Waldo Cortes-Acosta, along with a bantamweight bout between Marlon Vera and Charles Jourdain.

What is your early prediction for Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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Terrance McKinney says UFC 329 stoppage sgainst King Green was premature

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Terrance McKinney says UFC 329 stoppage sgainst King Green was premature

Terrance McKinney took issue with his bout being stopped with
seconds left in the round. | 📷: Getty/UFC



Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Terrance
McKinney claims his
UFC 329 fight with King Green
should have gone to the next round.

The main card opener was stopped by referee Kerry Hatley just
seconds before the first round concluded. He stepped in after Green
landed a body shot and McKinney turtled up against the fence,
albeit still covering his head. “T.Wrecks†has now addressed what
he believes was an early stoppage but sees the positives in his
performance.

McKinney reflects on the King Green loss, the controversial
stoppage and what he’d change

McKinney started strong, walking down Green with his typical early
forward pressure. He even came close to submitting the seasoned
veteran, who ultimately escaped before finding the finish moments
later to conclude a chaotic one-round bout. McKinney recently
reflected on his performance and Green's finish, saying the referee
should've let the fight go longer.

“Got me in liver, but the ref should have let it go to next round,
only two seconds left,†McKinney wrote on X. “I'm proud of the
growth I had, wasn't just tweaking, picked my shots. We'll be back,
congrats to [Green].â€

Responding to a comment about why he went for a rear-naked choke
instead of maintaining full mount, McKinney admitted that he made a
tactical mistake. “I would def stayed on top,†he responded.

McKinney and Green were later seen enjoying a night out together on
their socials, showing that there was no ill will between them
after the fight despite tensions going into it. With the loss,
McKinney fell to 8-6 in the UFC. So far, in his 27 pro fights, only
four have gone beyond the opening round. Meanwhile, Green has now
won four straight fights.


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Islam Makhachev trolls Conor McGregor following UFC 329 injury

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Islam Makhachev trolls Conor McGregor following UFC 329 injury

Islam Makhachev (left) appeared to have some fun at Conor
McGregor's expense. | 📷: Getty/UFC



Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Islam
Makhachev poked fun at Conor
McGregor following the Irishman's anticlimactic defeat to
Max
Holloway.

McGregor suffered a knee injury with the very first strike he threw
in his rematch with Holloway at
UFC 329 in Las Vegas. He couldn't plant both feet properly
thereafter and the referee subsequently intervened, calling a halt
to the action. Makhachev has now mocked the former two-division
champion.

Islam Makhachev posts ‘Conor beat Conor’ after Max Holloway
stops McGregor at UFC 329

Makhachev has addressed the result of UFC 329's main event, wherein
his friend and mentor Khabib
Nurmagomedov's bitter rival failed to return to the win column.
UFC featherweight champ Alexander
Volkanovski posted his live reaction to the injury on Instagram
and Makhachev commented with a laughing emoji underneath.

“Conor beat Conor congrats Max,†the former lightweight and current
welterweight champion then posted on X.

Notably, McGregor commended Makhachev in the lead-up to UFC 329,
ranking him above Nurmagomedov and Daniel
Cormier. “Body of work, finishes. I rank him above Khabib and
DC. People around him are talking about [retirement], but there’s a
lot left in that boy,†he said in an interview.

Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor remains the highest-selling pay-per-view
in UFC history, kicking off the Dagestan-Ireland rivalry, which
will have another chapter at UFC
330, where Makhachev will look to defend his belt against
Ian
Garry.


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Terence Crawford reacts to Conor McGregors UFC 329 injury with brutal message

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Terence Crawford reacts to Conor McGregor's UFC 329 injury with brutal message




Terence “Bud†Crawford has addressed Conor
McGregor's anticlimactic return to action in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

McGregor's return to the Octagon ended in just 69 seconds at

UFC 329. The former two-division champion seemingly injured his
right knee in the opening sequence of the fight, leading to a
stoppage from the referee as he was unable to continue.

UFC CEO Dana
White subsequently speculated that it could be an ACL-related
issue, an unfortunate occurrence considering McGregor's last bout
before UFC 329 also ended in a leg injury.

Terence Crawford says Conor McGregor’s UFC 329 injury was ‘God
punish them’ after the former champion’s 69-second loss.

Crawford, who has gone back and forth with McGregor previously,
believes the Irishman got what was coming his way. The unbeaten
boxer and the MMA superstar were once rumored to be squaring off in
a two-fight crossover series across both combat sports, and
McGregor claimed Crawford turned down a $200 million deal, which
the latter has since dismissed.

“It's crazy when they talk sh*t to me God punish them,†Crawford
wrote on X.

This isn't the first time Crawford has addressed an MMA result.
After Ilia
Topuria suffered the first defeat of his professional career at

UFC Freedom 250 to Justin
Gaethje, “Bud†questioned the hype behind “El Matador†going
into the historic White House event. Notably, Topuria had
previously claimed he could beat Crawford in boxing.

“This the guy that said he would knock me out and whoop me and
Shakur at the same time?†Crawford posted after UFC Freedom
250.


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