UFC 317 has just past and understandably, Ilia Topuria has stolen all the headlines with his first round knockout over Charles Oliveira. But just before that fight had taken place, we got to witness yet another dominant victory by UFC Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja, who submitted Kai Kara-France in just 3 rounds.
Looking Back on Alexandre Pantoja’s Win Over Kai Kara-France
Alexandre Pantoja flew right out the gate putting the pressure on Kara-France clearly seeking an early finish to get that statement victory. The Brazilian implemented his stand up game early, and began walking down the New Zealander with hard kicks to the body and legs which eventually would back him up to the fence where he would get taken down and smothered for the remainder of the round.
In round 2, Alexandre Pantoja kept the high pace and started ramping up the leg kicks and really establishing his dominance anywhere the fight took place. Round 3 was not very different from the previous 2. “The Cannibal” came out sprinting once again in round 3 and went right to work. Pantoja got the back of Kara-France and took him down against the fence where he immediately attacked the body triangle and connected it seamlessly. That was the beginning of the end for “DontBlink” as Pantoja secured the rear naked choke and added yet another outstanding win to his resume.
Looking Ahead to Alexandre Pantoja vs Joshua Van
On the same card Joshua Van defeated Brandon Royval in a number 1 contenders fight and continues his amazing run of activity racking up 5 wins in just over 10 months. Van entered the octagon to face off with the flyweight champion post fight and now seems to be “The Cannibals” next opponent. But how do these two matchup against one another? Will Pantoja dominate and out-grapple Van like the rest of his opponents or does Van have the ability to overcome the heavy grappling pressure from the Brazilian?
At only 23 years old Joshua Van has already racked up 9 fights in the UFC in just 2 years. He has won 8 out of those 9 fights as he has gone on to be one of the most active fighters in the company. His high volume boxing style has been very tricky for his opponents to adjust to as he always seems to be one step ahead and in most cases holds the speed advantage on the feet. As for his ground-game, we haven’t seen too much of it, which is seemingly the biggest question mark in a future matchup against Alexandre Pantoja.
Alexandre Pantoja Doesn’t Back Down from Any Challenge
As for Pantoja, we know he will never shy away from a good old-fashioned slugfest as he always has the threat of a the takedown that all his opponents must respect when going up against him. We have seen Pantoja get caught with big shots in previous fights, but its almost as if he relies on his toughness and iron chin to keep the pressure on and drown his opponents into deep waters.
Can Joshua Van Overpower Alexandre Pantoja?
If Joshua Van can keep the distance with his striking, and do well in the grappling exchanges he very well could shut Pantoja down as he is the much quicker and more polished striker. On the flip side if Pantoja is able to utilize his grappling like he has in previous fights, it could be a very long night for Van.
