Muhammad Mokaev believes Alexandre Pantoja should focus on building his legacy in the flyweight division rather than moving up to bantamweight, citing size concerns and praising Pantoja’s skills and character.
No active UFC champion has more title defenses than Alexandre Pantoja. With Islam Makhachev vacating the lightweight belt, Pantoja stands out. But Muhammad Mokaev thinks his former teammate should stay put.
Pantoja has defended the flyweight title three times. He beat Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, and Kai Asakura since taking the belt from Brandon Moreno in 2023. Now, he’s set to defend it again during International Fight Week on June 28 against Kai Kara-France. Fun fact: Pantoja already beat Kara-France on The Ultimate Fighter in 2016.
Mokaev, however, advises against moving to bantamweight to challenge Merab Dvalishvili. He believes Pantoja should build his legacy at 125 pounds. "I see articles about people saying he should fight Merab, and I said, no," Mokaev told MMA Fighting. "He’s not big enough to fight Merab, size-wise."
Merab is strong for bantamweight, Mokaev argues. Even Deiveson Figueiredo, the biggest flyweight, struggled at 135. So, Pantoja should stay at flyweight. "It’s gonna take him time to put weight on," Mokaev adds.
Mokaev returns to the cage Saturday to face Thomas Assis at 971 FC 2 in Dubai. He shares a great relationship with Pantoja, having trained together at American Top Team. But he left to avoid potential conflicts with other 125-pounders from the gym, like Pantoja and Kyoji Horiguchi.
"I love Pantoja," Mokaev says. "He’s a great guy inside and outside the octagon." When Mokaev joined American Top Team, Pantoja looked after him. But once Mokaev entered the world rankings, he didn’t want to make things awkward.
Mokaev hopes to return to the UFC by defeating every opponent he can. Despite going 7-0 in the UFC, he was let go after allegedly making "some mistakes." He debunks the narrative of being "hard to work with" and fondly recalls training with Pantoja and Horiguchi.
"Horiguchi is the strongest flyweight right now," Mokaev says. "Pantoja is really good on the ground. We had very close rolls." He describes Horiguchi as a sprinter, explosive, while Pantoja is like a marathon runner, wearing you down.
Horiguchi had to withdraw from a fight with Tagir Ulanbekov on June 21, missing his UFC return. A win or two could earn him a shot at Pantoja’s belt. But Mokaev won’t pick a winner. "Brother, you make me trouble now," he laughs. "If I enter American Top Team again, they’ll both smash me."
Two different styles, he says. Whoever puts pressure first might win. Pantoja likes to shake hands and go like a dog, while Horiguchi is springy and moves well. Mokaev believes his time is coming, and Pantoja’s legacy is already solid. "He needs to go," Mokaev chuckles.