COLUMN: Alexandre Pantoja sits alone atop flyweight division after overcoming latest test
In Fight Knight, The Daily Targum sports desk gives its takes on the world of combat sports and professional wrestling.
On Saturday, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) hosted UFC 310 in Paradise, Nevada, inside the T-Mobile Arena. As this was the year's last major event, the UFC planned to put on a spectacular show headlined by flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja defending his belt against debut fighter Kai Asakura.
Other notable names included undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov, former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane and former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling.
Pantoja successfully defended his title against Asakura via a second-round rear-naked choke submission. Alexandre entered the fight on a six-fight win streak, which included three successful title defenses. Asakura was on the opposite end of the UFC spectrum, this fight was his debut with the UFC after previously fighting for Rizin Fighting Federation (RFF).
Asakura was the RFF bantamweight champion and entered the UFC with lofty expectations. He immediately earned a title shot in the UFC. Although Asakura was outmatched in the fight, he showed his skill and created some memorable moments, like landing a flying knee early in the first round.
The UFC is widely regarded as the highest standard for mixed martial arts, which is why Pantoja is now at a crossroads. He is currently 7-0 against the active top 10 ranked flyweight fighters, leaving many to question who his next opponent should be.
Pantoja did happen to have someone in mind, using his post-fight interview to call out the legendary Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson. In his time in the UFC, Johnson racked up 24 wins and had a 13-fight win streak, including 12 successful title defenses in a row. After leaving the UFC in 2018, he moved to ONE Championship, where he also became a champion.
Johnson is one of the most decorated flyweight fighters in UFC history and one of the promotion's all-time greatest fighters. The problem with this callout from Pantoja is that Johnson retired and last fought in May 2023.
"I'm the GOAT here. If you want to prove you're the GOAT, come back," Pantoja said.
Those high hopes of setting up a possible superfight were quickly shut down as Johnson took to his YouTube channel to respond.
"The bank account is sitting nice and good. Thirty-eight years old, 11 consecutive title defenses. The champ ain't coming back." Johnson said.
The logical fight to make for Pantoja is number one ranked contender Brandon Royval, who recently picked up an impressive win against Tatsuro Taira back in October. The only issue is that Pantoja is already 2-0 against Royval. He could also give former champion Brandon Moreno a chance at redemption, but he is also 2-0 against Moreno.
With few clear options for Pantoja to choose from, creating a unique situation for the accomplished champion. Furthering his legacy will prove difficult, as he will most likely have to resort to an unnecessary trilogy or fight a lower-ranked opponent with less prestige.
Only time will tell what the champion will do with his next steps. Until then, Pantoja can enjoy being one of the most dominant fighters in the promotion.
