Outside Source
Alexandre Pantoja injured his elbow 26 seconds into the opening round at UFC 323. | Getty/UFC
In a conversation with followers on his Instagram stories, American Top Team coach Marcos “Parrumpa” da Matta gave an encouraging update on Alexandre Pantoja‘s elbow injury recovery.
Pantoja injured his elbow 26 seconds into the opening round of the UFC 323 co-main event, bringing an abrupt end to his flyweight title defense against Josua Van on Dec. 6. The coach stated that the injury did not break or tear any ligaments, which is a positive sign for a faster return.
“The good news is that there was no fracture or ligament injury,” da Matta said. “From that, we have great expectations for his return. But the exact timeframe is still unknown; he still needs a lot of physiotherapy to start moving his arm, then he can go back to light training and then hard training. Only then will we have an exact idea of how long he will need to return and reclaim our belt.”
Champion’s Mentality
“Parrumpa” made it clear that even without training, Pantoja maintains his focus.
“He has a champion’s mentality; even with his arm immobilized, Pantoja continues going to the gym and staying in shape,” he said.
Based on the updates provided by da Matta, Sherdog.com contacted orthopedist Rickson Moraes, a shoulder and elbow specialist, who predicted a return time of around four to six months for the former champion.
“Generally four to six months, but it depends a lot on the progress in physiotherapy. So there’s no way to set a date. It depends on future evaluations carried out by the orthopedist who is treating him in the USA,” Moraes said.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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