MMA
Exclusive: Alexandre Pantoja focused on UFC flyweight division
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Alexandre Pantoja recently defended his UFC flyweight belt last December against Kai Asakura, securing a second-round submission victory.
So far, no one has found a way to defeat Pantoja. The flyweight king (29-5) hasn’t lost since 2020 and is riding a seven-fight win streak. When asked by DAZN News about the possibility of vacating his belt to challenge Merab Dvalishvili, the bantamweight champion, Pantoja made it clear that moving up in weight is not part of his plans.
"What I really want right now is to defend my belt and climb higher in the rankings," Pantoja said. "Maybe people don’t think about it, but everyone wants to be the best across all divisions.
"In my next fight, I want to prove something to myself. I believe I can still improve and grow. I think I'm close to achieving that."
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For Pantoja, the goal is to elevate the flyweight division.
"I'm not going to vacate my belt." he said. "I love protecting my division. I love fighting flyweights because, years ago, people were saying this division should be shut down.
"Imagine if someone told you your job didn’t matter, that nobody cared about it. It’s not like that."
After his third title defense against Asakura, Pantoja is determined to continue on this path.
"I need to feed my family, and not just me, every fighter in this division needs to provide for their families," Pantoja said. "Some people say, 'Yeah, you don’t need this division.' But I think it’s important to show that this division matters.
"And I'm one of the guys fighting for it. I want to defend my belt and make exciting fights. That’s what I want to do, and I will continue doing it."
