Alexandre Pantoja Next Fight: Who the Flyweight Champion needs to fight after UFC 310 victory
Find out who Alexandre Pantoja could possibly face following his submission win against Kai Asakura at UFC 310.
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Alexandre Pantoja submitting Kai Asakura (Image via UFC)
Alexandre Pantoja had yet another impressive win over the weekend at UFC 310 when he defeated Kai Asakura via submission in the second round of their main event contest. With Pantoja having now gone through a decent chunk of the Flyweight division, who will he be standing across the octagon from next?
As I wrote here in one of my recent pieces, the Flyweight division was desperate for Asakura to get the win against Panjota. It would have opened up the division and introduce some fresh matchups for the 125 lb crown.
But after winning via submission in decisive fashion, Pantoja has continued his impressive winning streak, with his last loss coming all the way back in July 2020 to Askar Askarov. With such a dominant champion, the question is who will the UFC put him in the cage with next? Let’s take a look at the options.
The Contenders
Brandon Royval
Arguably the next in line for a shot at Pantoja is the man ranked as the top contender in the Flyweight division: Brandon Royval. Having secured a split-decision victory against Tatsuro Taira at UFC Vegas 98, handing Taira his first career loss, as well as Brandon Moreno back in February, it would make sense for him to be paired off with the Champion once again.
The big issue for Royval is that he has already lost to Pantoja twice. The first fight between the two Flyweights came in August 2021, with Pantoja getting the submission win and then defeating Royval again in December 2023 via decision, which was his first title defense.
The problem here is will fans pay for a third title fight between these two men when Pantoja has already won fairly decisively on the last two occasions? I’m not sure.
Kai Kara-France
The ‘Kai’ that many fans thought should’ve been in the cage at UFC 310, Kai Kara-France continues to impress but still sees himself fourth in the 125 lb rankings. What gives this an extra bit of intrigue is the fact that Pantoja has already beaten Kara-France, but that was in The Ultimate Fighter Season 24 Quarterfinals back in 2016. Therefore, this would be a very different proposition in terms of experience level and scope.
Losses to Brandon Moreno and Amir Albazi haven’t done him any favours in recent years, but a TKO win over Steve Erceg at UFC 305 back in August has definitely put him back on the radar.
Asu Almabayev
Ranked seventh, Asu Almabayev currently boasts a 17-fight winning streak, which includes a dominant decision over Matheus Nicolau at UFC Fight Night 245. Overall, Almabayev boasts a professional record of 21 wins and 2 losses, including a 4-0 streak in the UFC, so he’s on the right trajectory for a title match at some point.
I put emphasis on the words “at some point” because I do not see Aknabayev getting a shot at Pantoja in the near future, as he may well need to further prove his title credentials against the likes of Royval, Kara-France, Albazi, and Moreno before he gets a pop at the champ.
Brandon Moreno
‘The Assassin Baby’ Brandon Moreno is another Flyweight contender that could get the next fight against Pantoja, despite the fact that yet again he’s someone that has already lost to the 125 lb Champion three times.
The Unlikely Outsider
Demetrious Johnson
Demetrious Johnson is considered by many to be one of the greatest lower-weight fighters in the history of Mixed Martial Arts. That in and of itself would probably explain why Pantoja decided to call out the retired fighter following his win at UFC 310, but the 125 lb Champ would later explain why he did so to MMAJunkie:
But all my respect to Demetrious Johnson. I respect him. I love him because he opens all the doors for us. But that fight is what I want. If you say it to me, ‘What do you want for Christmas?’ That’s what I want.
Alexandre Pantoja via MMAJunkie
If the UFC were somehow able to talk DJ out of retirement and get this fight happening, then it would be one of the biggest in Flyweight history. I think that is unlikely, though, as Johnson ended his career against Adriano Moraes for the ONE Championship back in 2023.
Having said that, the fight game is the fight game, so if the right amount of money was offered to ‘Mighty Mouse’ and the occasion was big enough, then he could well decide to make his way back to the famed Octagon.
Who will Pantoja fight next?
Personally, I can see Royval getting the next shot against Pantoja, despite the fact that he’s already lost twice to the reigning title holder. The UFC isn’t against throwing an unlikely name in there with Pantoja, though, as we saw with Asakura. Therefore, there’s potentially scope for someone like DJ to make a massive return for a big-time PPV payday.
Related: “He said I hit like a girl,” Steve Erceg reveals sly trash talk from ‘nice guy’ Alexandre Pantoja
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Jake Skudder
(13 Articles Published)