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Alexandre Pantoja | Viva Las Vegas
Flyweight Champ Talks Vegas Successes, State Of The Division, Facing Joshua Van
UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja has enjoyed a great deal of success at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where he meets Joshua Van this weekend in the co-main event of UFC 323.
After ping-ponging around the globe to begin his time on the roster, six of the Brazilian’s last eight outings have come in the epicenter of the sport, with the last four coming at the venue that hosts Saturday’s final numbered event of 2025. He won the title there in the summer of 2023, edging out Brandon Moreno in an ultra-competitive battle that still sparks debates, and has since earned three of his four successful title defenses in the home of the Golden Knights.
Two of those victories came in similar circumstances — December assignments on the final pay-per-view event of the year — and the entrenched titleholder wants to continue building that strong year-end association in the heads of fight fans everywhere this weekend.
“I’m very focused to compete so that two things you know happen in December are Christmas and Pantoja fights,” the 35-year-old said with a smirk on Tuesday. “It’s so good (coming) back to Las Vegas, to T-Mobile Arena, and make my show happen. I’ve been training a lot to give everybody a very good show.”
In his last two outings, Pantoja has done more than give fans a good show — he’s looked utterly dominant in running through challengers Kai Asakura and Kai Kara-France, dispatching each by submission with limited resistance — the former in the second round, and the latter in the third.
Saturday's Full Fight Card Preview
He’s done so largely by leaning on his tremendous grappling skills, but there has also been a clear refinement of his approach.
Earlier in this career, the wild streak that runs through the Rio de Janeiro would at times get the better of him, resulting in firefights and a greater reliance on his hands, rather than playing to his strengths and taking the fight to the canvas. Some of that resurfaced in his UFC 301 bout with Steve Erceg, where the unheralded Australian challenger ran level with Pantoja before the champion salted away the victory with his grappling in the final round.
Full Fight | Alexandre Pantoja vs Kai Kara-France 2
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Full Fight | Alexandre Pantoja vs Kai Kara-France 2
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But against “The Kais,” he was aggressive, but in a more focused manner, dragging each one to the deck quickly and showing that he not only knew the path of least resistance, but that he was going to follow that road as well.
“I feel I’m getting more confidence after my fights for titles,” Pantoja said when asked about his last two successful title defenses and the improvements he’s made since becoming champion. “I think I can spend more money (on) myself, to care more about myself. I invest in myself — in my diet, in my body, and I’m more mature, so I don’t make mistakes. I don’t eat sugar, I eat very clean, try to sleep very well. I think all this makes a big difference when I go to training — I train much better — and I can perform much better.
“All that comes with my age, and I started to believe more in myself,” he added. “I started to believe I can do something spectacular in my fights.”
He gets the opportunity to make it three straight spectacular performances on Saturday night, when he and Van stand across from one another with the flyweight title hanging in the balance.
At the start of the year, the odds on Van being the one opposing Pantoja in his annual December appearance would have been relatively high, as the Houston-based challenger had lost to Charles Johnson back in the summer and was in the process of building himself back up. But impressive performances against Rei Tsuruya and Bruno Silva showed Van was more than just an intriguing prospect, and an injury to Manel Kape opened the door for the UFC’s first athlete from Myanmar to step into a No. 1 contender bout against Brandon Rovyal.
“I watched a couple fights before of Josh, before his fight with Royval,” Pantoja said when asked about his opponent. “He did an amazing performance versus Rei, and then he fought Bruno “Bulldoginho;” two beautiful victories. Then I started to figure out, ‘this guy is very good.’
“I (didn’t) think he would come so fast to fight for the title, but he got his chance when Manel Kape pulled off the fight with Royval. He made it happen. A beautiful victory against Royval — a tough opponent, the No. 1 contender — and then he got the ticket to fight for the title fight.”
RELATED: Josh Van Interview
Just a couple of weeks after stopping Silva, Van jumped in with Royval, and after two competitive rounds, he pulled away down the stretch of the third, securing the victory. He sat cageside as the champion successful defended his title against Kara-France, and then ventured into the Octagon to congratulate and face-off with “The Cannibal,” setting the stage for Saturday’s scintillating showdown.
“I already knew who is my next opponent after the fight with Kai Kara-France — Josh Van stepped inside of the Octagon, and I started to train for him,” offered the champion, a humble family man who continues to refine his skills and look better each time out, despite having logged 35 professional appearances. “It’s a very good camp and a very good opponent; someone that makes me train for them a lot.
“I think that’s how I show respect to my opponent is training a lot and I’m expecting the best version of Joshua Van.”
Alexandre Pantoja's Five Favorite UFC Fights
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Alexandre Pantoja's Five Favorite UFC Fights
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For Pantoja, the chance to face Van is a new challenge — a fresh matchup in a division where he’s already logged matches against many of the top contenders.
“Always when you have a new challenger it’s something good for you,” he said when asked about squaring off with a new adversary this weekend. “I had beaten a couple guys from my division in a fight twice or three times, and to have someone new, someone fresh — there is a lot of conflict in my head sometimes — ‘Maybe he’s ready? Maybe he’s not?’ He showed very good skills in his fights. Maybe he’s not fought some guys at the same level I fought before, but when you go inside the Octagon, it’s 50/50 all the time.
“I don’t want my confidence to make me make mistakes,” Pantoja added. “But I’m confident for that fight. I have trained a lot, improved a lot in the training, and I think this is gonna be a very good chance to prove to myself how good I am.”
Rising Stars To Watch On UFC 323
While his individual efforts have already proven that Pantoja is the best in the world when it comes to the 125-pound ranks, an offshoot of his individual greatness is that the division is in the best position it has ever been in; thriving in a way few would have thought possible when its future was uncertain in 2018.
Though it started to build momentum during the extended series between Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo, it has only been in the last couple of years since Pantoja has sat on the throne that the depth has increased, the overall level of talent within the division has climbed, and flyweight has become a focal point for fans.
“We have the best fighters in the flyweight division — every week we show that — and it makes the flyweight division so entertaining right now,” Pantoja said proudly. “Five years ago, people don’t realize that, but right now, me and the guys in the division show everybody we’re so determined, we have a lot of power to show everybody.
“It's so good to have this moment right now. In 2026, we put the flyweight division at the top of the UFC.”
But first, he has some business to attend to this weekend in his favorite stomping grounds.
“I hope to finish this year with a beautiful victory and celebrate Christmas with my family and do a very good fight for all the UFC fans,” he added. “I want to finish Joshua Van on Saturday night and get ready for my next one.”
UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan 2 took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 6, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!