Pantoja Transported To Hospital After UFC 331 Loss

Former UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja was transported to a local hospital for precautionary CT scans following his five-round title loss to Joshua Van at UFC 331 on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Pantoja absorbed significant damage throughout the championship fight, particularly in the later rounds, according to MMA Mania. The Brazilian earned Fight of the Night honors and a $100,000 bonus despite the defeat, which marked the first time in his 36-fight career that he has lost consecutive bouts.

Light heavyweight Alonzo Menifield was also sent for precautionary X-rays after suffering what appeared to be a gruesome broken thumb during his split-decision victory over previously undefeated prospect Iwo Baraniewski. The injury occurred in the first round, with the bone reportedly protruding through the skin. A cageside physician examined the damage before the third round but cleared Menifield to continue.

The 38-year-old veteran fought through the pain to hand Baraniewski the first loss of his professional career. Menifield has now won four of his last five fights, knocking off rising light heavyweight prospects including Oumar Sy, Julius Walker, and Zhang Mingyang.

Pantoja had won eight straight before his current skid, capturing the flyweight title and defending it four times. Results of both fighters' medical evaluations had not been disclosed at the time of publication.