What's next for Alexandre Pantoja?

By Ryan Mullen

What’s in store for Alexandre Pantoja? (Image: Getty Images)

With a dominant display of striking and grappling against Brandon Royval, Alexandre Pantoja becomes the first Flyweight fighter to have a title defence in three years. Pantoja has beaten some of the best fighters in his weight class, like Brandon Moreno, Manel Kape and the previously mentioned Royval. He has only had five losses in his professional career, three of which came in his time in the UFC.

Royval at the weigh-in before facing Pantoja at UFC 296 (Image: Getty Images)

Currently tearing up the Flyweight division is number two contender Amir Albazi. He has only been in the UFC for three years, yet he’s skyrocketing through the Flyweight division and has not suffered a single loss throughout his time with the promotion. He has only a single career loss, and has a staggeringly high finish (KO, TKO or submission) rate, with 14 out of his 17 victories coming by a finish. Albazi seems the sure thing but has notably struggled against higher-level opposition, like his most recent opponent, Kai Kara-France, who only lost by a split decision. The UFC has had the foresight to match Albazi up with former champion Brandon Moreno. This is a clear-cut path that’ll have the winner facing Pantoja.

Albazi celebrates his victory over Kara-France (Image: Getty Images)

Moreno is the other clear opponent. He has had three previous matches with Alexandre Pantoja, all of which he has lost - but in their last match, it was anyone’s guess who won. The two fighters went for a five-round war, exchanging takedowns, strikes and submission attempts, the match ended in a narrow split decision. Moreno is a well-loved fighter at Flyweight and has a lot of clout within the promotion. The fans would pay to see another one of these explosive bouts. It is still uncertain if they will clash though. The possibility of a fourth bout between the two is hinging on Moreno’s performance in Mexico City in February.

Would Moreno face Pantoja again, risking a fourth defeat to the same opponent? (Image: Getty Images)

Another exciting prospect at Flyweight is Muhammad Mokaev. He has a 10 and zero record with a single no-contest tainting it. Seven of his wins came by way of finish. Mokaev is currently ranked eighth at Flyweight and will have another chance to test his mettle against seventh-ranked Alex Perez. This fight seems to be nothing more than a formality, as Perez is currently coming off of a two-fight loss streak, as well as a three-year layoff from fighting. In contrast, Mokaev has won every single professional fight he has had. It’s difficult to stop someone with that kind of momentum. He has been active since he joined the promotion, running through three fights in his debut year and finishing both of his opponents in 2023.

The undefeated Mokaev could be a tough opponent for Pantoja (Image: Getty Images)

Pantoja has proven that he deserves a fighter that is nothing short of the best. He has proven that after dominantly defending his belt against someone like Royval, who finished his last two opponents inside of a round. Any doubts were dispelled that his win over Moreno was a fluke after his performance at UFC 296. The certain thing is that Pantoja’s next fight, looking at all the numbers, will be another absolute war. Five rounds of constant action and pressure, and the fans can’t wait to see it.