Alexandre Pantoja is on cloud nine after defeating yet another title challenger at UFC 317. Well, he not only defeated Kai Kara-France, but also dominated him, proving that he’s just on another level compared to the other flyweights. After back-to-back impressive performances, ‘The Cannibal’ has rightfully earned the praise from arguably the biggest advocate of mixed martial arts, Joe Rogan.
It’s been quite a ride for Alexandre Pantoja because getting to the epitome of the MMA game wasn’t that easy for him. The Brazilian native went through some troubling financial issues not too long ago, as he was trying to juggle between his MMA training and working as an Uber EATS driver. “I have two children to raise, my wife, brother,” Pantoja said in a past interview. But as the saying goes, fortune favors the brave, and ‘The Cannibal’ personified that as he remained determined and kept working as he did before becoming a champion in 2023.
He may be a family man, but he’s equally dedicated to his dream of becoming the best fighter in the UFC. After winning the belt and a fourth successful title defense, Alexandre Pantoja showed off his new belt in a video on Instagram, and now, he’s got a total of five UFC championship titles. The proud Brazilian wrote, “I’m still the skinny breed. 5x UFC World Champion,” as a caption.
The post quickly caught Joe Rogan’s attention as he added a like to it. For a long time, the 57-year-old used to talk about Demetrious Johnson and his flyweight legacy in the UFC. Rogan even deemed ‘Mighty Mouse’ as one of the best expressions of MMA. But after Alexandre Pantoja’s dominant win at UFC 317, the commentator turned his attention to the reigning champion and gave his seal of approval, adding a goat emoji on Pantoja’s Instagram post.
Well, it may be a cause for celebration, but Alexandre Pantoja already has his next opponent. Joshua Van, who, as the #12 ranked flyweight, defeated a former title challenger and the #1 contender in Brandon Royval, in one of the best 3-round fights in UFC history, is next in line. The duo faced off last weekend, and we’re currently waiting for the official announcement. Meanwhile, UFC 317 was a good day at the office for the aforementioned flyweight stars, but prior to the PPV, Pantoja had called for people to show some respect to 125ers.
Alexandre Pantoja is calling for respect for the flyweight division
Before the fight against Kai Kara-France, Alexandre Pantoja got hit with questions about a potential bantamweight move. However, he strongly responded against it, claiming that there are a lot of exciting fighters that he can compete against now in the flyweight division. And guess what? As the champion of his division, he has called the fans out, claiming that the time has come for flyweight fighters to receive the same kind of treatment that fighters in higher weight classes do.
“I think little by little we change [the perception of the flyweight division]… We have so many good fighters. I see the last year, 2024, we had a lot of main events with the flyweights, and I think things start to change. That’s so cool,” said Alexandre Pantoja before last weekend’s PPV. “People realize how good this division is right now, and just us can change that. I think because that whole division respects each other, it’s not bad blood with us.”
Well, Alexandre Pantoja has certainly represented the flyweight division as a true champion. And Joe Rogan’s seal of approval is a testament to that fact. His dominant run has earned him a lot of fans, but as we all know, anything can happen in MMA and it will be interesting to see how he fares against Joshua Van in his next title defense. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.
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