UFC Veteran Din Thomas Highlights “35-Year Curse” Ahead of Pantoja vs Van

The world turned upside down for Alexandre Pantoja after he lost his flyweight crown in just 26 seconds last year due to a freak elbow injury. Nine months later, the Brazilian is ready to run it back with Joshua Van for the UFC 331 headlining fight on Sept. 19.

However, Din Thomas believes the 'Cannibal' might be up against more than just the rising flyweight champion. 

Din Thomas Details Major Obstacle in Pantoja Fight

The UFC is notorious for its "35-year curse", with only the cream-of-the-crop fighters managing to win a title at 35 or over. Before Alexander Volkanovski broke the curse at UFC 325 against Diego Lopes, fighters over 35 in the lightweight and under divisions were 0-17 in the title fights. With Pantoja entering the Octagon at 36, the pattern hits close to home for the former champion.

In a recent One On One MMA interview with Laura Sanko, Din Thomas explained the mechanics behind this striking trend. The former UFC featherweight explained, "For whatever reason, like just at that age, speed just starts to go away.

"Your hands aren't as fast. You're seeing things a little bit slower. That's like the moment—like 35 is like your, I don't want to say your peak, but like it just doesn't get better from there. And it just starts to come down." 

Moreover, the ESPN analyst added that balance was another factor that usually starts to decline at 35 or older. That directly affects power generation. For lighter divisions where speed, footwork, and technicality dominate the outcome, even the slightest physical differences can make or break the fight. 

It's not just Thomas highlighting the issue. The pattern seems to hold fairly well even at the sport's highest level. A 36-year-old Henry Cejudo lost his bantamweight title fight to Aljamain Sterling in UFC 288. A similar fate unfolded at UFC 317 when Ilia Topuria TKO'd Charles Oliveira in the first round for the vacant lightweight title. 

In fact, with Volkanovski's victory against Lopes, he became the first to break that curse in the lightweight division and below. Since then, many have challenged that trend, most notably Justin Gaethje, who defeated a much younger Ilia Topuria to win his first lightweight title.

Alexandre Pantoja has also proven himself to be an exception to the trend previously.

Can Alexandre Pantoja Break the 35-Year Curse?

The former flyweight champion is no stranger to defying the odds of age. Before losing his belt to Van in a blitz freak injury, Pantoja became the first male UFC flyweight to win a title fight at 35 or older. He achieved this milestone with a third-round submission against Kai Kara-France. 

Clearly, Pantoja has his own share of breaking curses before. In fact, many refuse to give Joshua Van credit for the UFC 323 victory, where the Brazilian barely got the chance to defend his title. Still, the 'Fearless' somewhat validated the title by successfully defending his belt against Tatsuro Taira with a 5th-round TKO. 

In terms of age, Van will have the clear upper hand at 24. But UFC fans will know that Pantoja's elite grappling and relentless pressure cannot be ignored either. Din Thomas personally picked Van for his UFC 331 prediction. But the bout can equally tilt the other way round, with Pantoja entering the fight with focus and mental clarity. 

Nonetheless, with the curse looming over Pantoja and the intensifying stakes, it will be an interesting matchup to watch.