5 Defining Moments: Alexandre Pantoja

The once overlooked and undervalued Ultimate Fighting Championship men’s flyweight division is now ripe with talent—replete with fierce competitors from the bottom of the barrel to the top of the heap. Being champion of a division glutted with hungry, viable contenders comes with its fair share of pressure. UFC 125-pound king Alexandre Pantoja thrives when the odds are stacked against him and delivers when the pressure is on. A divisional stalwart who was making stealthy moves since 2017, “The Cannibal” has finally earned his merited recognition with the regal gold wrapped around his waist. The champion’s next challenge is being hatched almost 13,500 kilometers away in the Land Down Under, as determined Australian contender Steve Erceg, on an 11-fight win streak, travels to enemy territories to measure the might of Pantoja’s reign. Ahead of that clash, we take a look at five defining moments that have shaped the Brazilian’s journey.

Title Toting Triumphs

Having compiled a solid 14-2 record since turning professional in July 2007, Pantoja was handed the opportunity to fight for the Resurrection Fighting Alliance flyweight gold against Matt Manzanares. He won the fight via rear-naked submission in the second round. Following that fight, he took on Legacy FC champ Damacio Page for the inaugural AXS TV superfight belt at 125 pounds. Page at that time was on a three-fight win streak and leveraged that momentum in the opening frame against Pantoja. He staggered the Brazilian twice with punches but courted trouble when he decided to pursue Pantoja’s active guard on the canvas. The Carioca locked in a deep triangle choke from there walking away with a technical submission win.

His path was one of slow-burning evolution

Success didn’t come overnight for Pantoja who had to prove himself over time in the UFC. Having contracted with the Las Vegas-based promotion after his stint in The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions in 2016, the Brazilian had to carve out his place and establish authority gradually. A split decision win over Eric Shelton and a rear-naked submission triumph over Neil Seery set the course of his trajectory. The first setback on that course was lodged at UFC 220 when Dustin Ortiz tested the mettle of Pantoja and left the Brazilian trailing in the residue of a unanimous decision loss. A three-fight win streak with two finishes signaled the advent of a fresh challenger in the mix. Yet, a unanimous decision loss against Deiveson Figueiredo tempered the surge of “The Cannibal.”

Planting an irrefutable claim for title bid

Following the aforementioned loss against Figueiredo, Pantoja went on a 1-1 run but returned to action in 2021 as an evolved and determined competitor. There was a discernible change in his approach, harnessing volume striking and high output yield to stifle Manel Kape enroute to a 29-28, 29-28 and, 30-27 unanimous decision win. Pantoja generated two of the best performances of his UFC career subsequently against Brandon Royval and Alex Perez. Against Royval, Pantoja battled his opponent’s patented unpredictability, engaged in exciting scrambles, and high-level submission attempts, all while swinging with unfeigned ferocity to hurt each other. In the second frame, Pantoja managed to take Royval to the ground, persevered till he found the rear naked choke, and locked it in deep, clocking the finish at the 1:46 mark of the second round.

Having evidenced mastery in the crucial encounter, the 34-year-old went on to challenge Alex Perez at UFC 277. He burst out of the gates with fervor, suited with purpose to demolish Perez, swinging to the fences to suffocate his opponent. From there, he managed to briefly deposit Perez on the mats, swiftly transitioned to the back, and sunk in a standing neck crank that denoted that the title shot cannot be denied. Both those showcases received the “Performance of the Night” honors.

Grinding for Gold, Striving for Legacy

Brandon Moreno was fresh off the definitive conclusion of his quadrilogy series with Figueiredo when he took on Pantoja at UFC 290. The challenger proved to be the aggressor, pushing the pace from the onset in a bid to get Moreno out quickly. They both scrambled for dominant positions, with Moreno the clear victor of striking exchanges while Pantoja relied heavily on his grappling prowess. The Brazilian was seemingly fatigued midway through the fight but dug deep to initiate grappling exchanges. When the tens and nines were tallied, it was Pantoja who walked away as the winner and the freshly minted champion with split-decision scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 46-49.

His Record in the Division Stands Tall

In 32 professional fights, Pantoja has never been finished once. Moreover, he occupies the third spot for most wins and most finishes in divisional history with 11 victories, and six finishes. Throughout his UFC run, he has amassed five post-fight bonuses and also holds the fifth-fastest submission win in the bracket.