Alexandre Pantoja is focused on defending his flyweight title and is not interested in moving up to bantamweight, despite interest in a potential fight with Merab Dvalishvili.
Alexandre Pantoja becoming a two-division champion? Yeah, not happening anytime soon.
UFC 317’s main event has Ilia Topuria facing Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title. Before that, Pantoja defends his flyweight title against Kai Kara-France for the fourth time.
If Pantoja wins, people will push him to move up to 135 pounds to fight Merab Dvalishvili. But he’s more interested in the current flyweight contenders.
“I’m super excited,” Pantoja said at UFC 317 media day. “People say, ‘Move to bantamweight,’ but no way. There are so many entertaining fights here.”
He mentioned Joshua Van, calling him “crazy” and likening him to grabbing a Golden Ticket from Willy Wonka. If Van beats Brandon Royval, he’s next in line.
Pantoja also feels for Manel Kape, who’s always close to the belt but never quite gets there. “I hope to fight him in the future,” he said. “I want to fight the best.”
Fans might want Pantoja to switch divisions for a new challenge. At 35, he’s beaten top flyweights, including Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval—twice.
There was such a shortage of fresh opponents that Kai Asakura got a title shot in his UFC debut. Yet, Pantoja sees potential challengers just a couple of wins away from a title shot.
“2024 is the best year for flyweights,” Pantoja said. “Now you can name 10, 50 guys from the division. I’m the champ, and I appreciate all that.”
He added, “Everyone thinks they have a chance. I fought No. 10, Steve Erceg, and now Kai Kara-France, Joshua Van, Kyoji Horiguchi. That’s super nice.”
Pantoja is open to fighting Dvalishvili, though. Both are top pound-for-pound fighters, tied for No. 3 on MMA Fighting’s list.
If they ever fight, Pantoja wonders if a special prize could be on the line. “Maybe a ‘BMF’ for light guys,” he mused. “I respect Merab. He’s a warrior.”
He continued, “I want to fight the best. If I get the chance to fight Merab, I’d accept. But I’m focused on my division.”
Pantoja acknowledged he’d need to bulk up for a fight with Dvalishvili. He’d rely on his grappling skills and American Top Team’s training to prepare.
“I’m learning from my losses,” Pantoja said. “If Merab tries to take me down, I can use my grappling. I have great jiu-jitsu.”
He concluded, “To go to 135, I need more pounds. But I love my division. Super entertaining fights. Best cardio in the UFC. I love fighting in flyweight.”