Alexandre Pantoja Doesn't Want Trash Talk Ahead of UFC 331 Bout

Alexandre Pantoja has been one of the most accomplished flyweights in UFC history. Unfortunately, his reign as champion came to a screeching halt at UFC 323 last December. Knocked out in the opening thirty seconds of the bout, the setback meant that Pantoja lost his UFC gold. Now, as he looks to reclaim lost glory, the former champion wants to stay away from trash talk. 

Speaking at a recent interview, Pantoja pointed out that he has his eyes set on the prize. Trying to lock in hard, the former UFC champion asked his fans not to expect any trash talk from him. He said, “I'm not trying to sell this anymore, I'm here to fight. I'm not here for the press conference, I'm here for Saturday night. My mind is only focused on Saturday.”

Coming from Pantoja, it looks like a very wise decision to cut out all the outside noise. But from a business standpoint, Pantoja’s approach might not be an ideal one. The UFC would want the flyweight championship bout to get significant traction from the fans. But with Pantoja’s ‘no-selling’ approach, fans might not be interested in watching the two contenders break each other inside the octagon. 

Meanwhile, coming to Los Angeles for the second time, Pantoja dropped a confident take. 

Alexandre Pantoja's Feeling Confident in Los Angeles

Pantoja will be going all-out to reclaim his flyweight title, and adding to his confidence will be the city of Los Angeles. Elaborating on the same, Pantoja stated that back in 2014, he came to LA to pursue his dream career. Now, when he has achieved so much, the UFC fighter feels confident fighting in familiar territory. 

The 36-year-old said, “I feel super-excited, super-happy to come to (Los Angeles). It’s the first city I came to in America. It’s so nice coming here — I have some friends sending me photos from banners in the streets, and it’s so nice to have that.”

Thus, with a lot going on, fans will be eager to see what’s next.