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Alexandre Pantoja | An All-Time Great
Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja Has Somewhat Quietly Distinguished Himself As The Second-Best 125er Ever Ahead Of UFC 317: Topuria vs Oliveira
As Alexandre Pantoja approaches his fight with Kai Kara-France at UFC 317: Topuria vs Oliveira, it is beyond time “The Cannibal” received his proper flowers.
The 35-year-old Brazilian stands as the longest reigning champion across all men’s divisions. He is the owner of three successful title defenses, the most in the flyweight division since Demetrious Johnson’s unparalleled run as the division’s inaugural champion. Moreover, he is the only flyweight since Johnson held the belt to successfully defend his title multiple times. Pantoja is tied for the most wins (13), finishes (seven) and submissions in flyweight history, and his seven-fight win streak is tied for the second-longest to Johnson.
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While Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno wrestled for the title in a saga which lasted 31 months, Pantoja essentially laid waste to the rest of the 125ers. From the first Figueiredo-Moreno meeting in December 2020 until their concluding bout in 2023, Pantoja collected wins over Manel Kape, Brandon Royval and Alex Perez, submitting the latter two to establish himself as the contender in waiting.
What is perhaps most impressive is Pantoja’s strength of schedule. As the rankings currently stand, he holds six wins over the top 15 and three of the top 5, as well as a win over Kara-France during their season of The Ultimate Fighter nine years ago. That dominance played a part in Erceg getting a title shot in just his fourth UFC bout and why Kai Asakura jumped right into a title fight in his Octagon debut.
Pantoja’s excellence isn’t just told in the numbers and names. It’s how he fights, as well. When Pantoja makes the walk, he does so with every intention of leaving everything in the Octagon, leading to six performance bonuses (tied for third all-time among flyweights). He appears to love a dogfight, and his ability to dig deep when the moment calls for it is uncanny.
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On multiple occasions, Pantoja has looked worn down while his opponent gains momentum, and he is able to pull out a takedown or flurry to halt his foe’s charge and regain control of the fight. The stats speak to this. In his four title fights, Pantoja scored six, eight, nine and three takedowns, respectively.
There is also something to be said about Pantoja’s spotless record in rematches. After beating Moreno and Royval, he faced them multiple years later, and despite both men’s improvements and elevated confidence, Pantoja simply proved he was better once again. He hopes to do as much against Kara-France. When the two fought on The Ultimate Fighter, Pantoja was able to stifle Kara-France’s offense with his grappling in the first round, but in the second round, Pantoja readily engaged on the feet and was still able to secure the decision nod to advance in the season’s tournament.
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Nine years later, Pantoja is inarguably in the best form of his life and can continue distinguishing himself as one of the best to ever compete at 125 pounds, and although he has received all the necessary plaudits, another win over a top contender undoubtedly puts him in rarefied air.
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