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Alexandre Pantoja’s Path To A Flyweight Title Shot
After Six And A Half Years Of Chasing UFC Gold, Alexandre Pantoja Will Finally Have His Shot When He Faces Brandon Moreno At UFC 290. Here’s How He Made It To This Point.
With a record of 9-3 in the UFC, there is no question that Alexandre Pantoja has proven that he’s one of the top flyweight fighters on the planet.
At UFC 290: Volkanovski vs Rodriguez, the 33-year-old Brazilian has a chance to cement his legacy as one of the most accomplished flyweights to ever compete in the UFC when he faces Brandon Moreno for the undisputed UFC flyweight championship.
The journey to get to this point wasn’t without some disappointing setbacks, but “The Cannibal” would not be denied. Every time he suffered a defeat he bounced-back by getting his hand raised immediately.
Pantoja put together a couple win streaks over the years, but it was his brilliant performances in his three most recent fights that locked him into a title shot with Moreno.
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Let’s look back at Pantoja’s fights with Moreno, as well as his three most recent fights:
Alexandre Pantoja vs Brandon Moreno
TUF 24 Quarterfinal – Aug 31, 2016
Pantoja first came on to the UFC scene on season 24 of The Ultimate Fighter. Although he didn’t win his season of TUF, wins over Moreno and Kai Kara-France on the show aged very well and showed that Pantoja absolutely belonged competing in the Octagon.
In the bout versus Moreno, the two exchanged strikes for most of the first round, with both men finding success and dealing out some significant damage. The second round started off the way the first round ended, but things quickly changed in the second frame when Pantoja was able to shoot and take Moreno’s back.
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After a little work, he was able to sink in the rear naked choke and force Moreno to tap. It was a grueling fight with an insane pace that showed that both Moreno and Pantoja were going to do big things in the UFC.
Alexandre Pantoja vs Brandon Moreno
UFC Chile – May 19, 2018
The second, but first “official” meeting between Pantoja and Moreno came almost two years later when the two flyweights found themselves ranked in the top 15.
Pantoja brought a much more measured approach into this fight with Moreno, and it paid off.
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He damaged Moreno early and it felt like he couldn’t miss throughout the entire first round. Moreno was in bad shape heading to his stool after the first round and continued to mix up his game throughout the fight.
It felt like Pantoja was always one step ahead of Moreno for the next 10 minutes on his way to an impressive unanimous decision victory.
Alexandre Pantoja vs Manel Kape
UFC Vegas 18 – Feb 6, 2021
Even though it was Manel Kape’s UFC debut, everyone knew that Kape was one of the hottest flyweight prospects to come to the division in a long time. Pantoja accepted the fight with Kape ranked No. 5, so it was a high-risk low-reward bout for him.
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Pantoja was patient and active throughout the fight, doing his best to avoid Kape’s dynamic power. He stayed in the middle and kept busy throughout the fight. Pantoja’s volume and his willingness to engage earned him the unanimous decision win.
Alexandre Pantoja vs Brandon Royval
UFC Vegas 34 – Aug 21, 2021
As usual, flyweight contender Brandon Royval brought unpredictability to his fight with Pantoja. The two engaged in wild scrambles, submission attempts, and big moments in the striking department before things came to definitive end in the second round.
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Pantoja was able to get Royval to the canvas and get his back. He kept working until he found the rear naked choke and locked it in. It was a brilliant performance in a critically important fight for the trajectory of Pantoja’s title hopes.
Alexandre Pantoja vs Alex Perez
UFC 277 – July 30, 2022
Pantoja came out the gates on fire in his UFC 277 bout with Alex Perez. He was swinging for the fences and doing his best to get the quick finish. He quickly moved to Perez’s back and locked in a body triangle.
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Pantoja made it uncomfortable for Perez, squeezing across his jaw. He started cranking and forced Perez to tap just 1:31 into the bout.
This performance showed just how confident Pantoja is at the moment, and it made a statement that earned him a shot at Brandon Moreno’s flyweight belt.
UFC 290: Volkanovski vs Rodriguez took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 8, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
