Who in the world at 125 lbs. can defeat Alexandre Pantoja? At UFC 310, Pantoja defended his UFC flyweight strap for an amazing third time, stopping the highly-touted Kai Asakura in the second round by rear-naked choke, becoming the only man to submit the Japanese phenom. Prior to their encounter this past Saturday night, Asakura had arrived into the promotion with much fanfare behind him, being a former two-time Rizin Bantamweight Champion. Despite the size difference that the challenger possessed, Pantoja looked to be in a whole different league than Asakura. From the opening seconds of the bout, “The Cannibal” put on a masterclass performance, dropping his opponent in the first round with a hard left hand, and then skillfully locking up a body triangle in the second before ultimately securing the finish.
Alexandre Pantoja Easily Dispatches Kai Asakura in UFC 310 Main Event
With a win over a decorated titleholder from a different organization metaphorically and literally under his belt, Pantoja has seemingly separated himself far away from the rest of the competition in his domain. Which begs the question: who has what it takes to dethrone the dominant Brazilian?
In contrast to the UFC’s other champion’s, Pantoja holds a particularly iron-clad stranglehold over his division, having bested five of the top ten flyweights in the world in Manel Kape, Steve Erceg, and Alex Perez. He also has defeated the No. 1 contender Brandon Royval, and the number two-ranked Brandon Moreno twice, making him the only champion to have multiple victories over more than one top five competitor. Since dropping a unanimous decision to Askar Askarov back in 2020, Pantoja has remained mostly unstoppable in his past seven fights, with the only men that have been able to challenge him being the aforementioned Moreno and Erceg.
Alexandre Pantoja Gets TUF and Joins UFC
All the way back in 2016, Pantoja, who then had recently captured both the RFA and AXS TV Flyweight Championships, competed on the 24th season of the UFC’s hit reality television show, The Ultimate Fighter. This season in particular was special because it featured 15 other 125-lb. champions from across the globe squaring off in an exhibition-style tournament, including a young Moreno. Crossing paths with the Mexican in the second round of the bracket,
Pantoja made quick work of the future star with a first-round rear- naked choke. After their time on the show, the duo would fight twice more in the UFC, once in 2018, and then again in 2023 at UFC 290, where Pantoja edged out Moreno on the scorecards to become the company’s flyweight king.
Pantoja Scores Victory Over Erceg Earlier This Year
Garnering just three wins over the course of his first year in the promotion, Steve Erceg emerged as the unlikeliest of title challengers when he was booked to face Pantoja at UFC 301. Comparing his significantly shorter record of 12-1 to the champion’s much more impressive 28-5, as well as the level of opposition they each had beaten up until that point, many pundits did not give the Australian much of a chance at all. Exceeding all expectations, though, “Astro Boy” managed to give Pantoja the toughest test of his reign so far, including delivering a huge elbow that cut “The Cannibal” open badly. However, showcasing his otherworldly toughness, Pantoja weathered the storm and went on to defeat Erceg after a hard-fought unanimous decision.
Is It Time for Alexandre Pantoja to Move Up a Division After Defending Belt?
Other than the two names mentioned above, not a single fighter over the course of Pantoja’s win streak has even come close to threatening him. With his granite chin, superb cardio, and lightning-fast hand speed, the flyweight champion remains almost peerless in his division. As the next couple of years into his time at the top unfold, and after he continues to vanquish challenger after challenger, the only real test left for Pantoja might just reside in a different weight class. For now, the Brazilian remains the gold standard at 125-lb, but will there ever be a contender that will truly prove worthy of toppling this unbreakable champion?
