Tag: Alexandre Pantoja

Report – Brandon Moreno returns in championship rematch against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290 in July

Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja UFC 290 flyweight title rematch JulyUndisputed flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno will look to avenge a May 2018 decision loss to Brazilian contender, Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290 – as the two lock horns in a championship rematch. The pay-per-view event is slated to take place on July 8. during International Fight Week at the T-Mobile Arena. Co-headlining UFC 283 earlier […]

Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja UFC 290 flyweight title rematch July

Undisputed flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno will look to avenge a May 2018 decision loss to Brazilian contender, Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290 – as the two lock horns in a championship rematch. The pay-per-view event is slated to take place on July 8. during International Fight Week at the T-Mobile Arena.

Co-headlining UFC 283 earlier this year in Rio de Janeiro, Moreno managed to bookend his four-fight series with former undisputed champion, Deiveson Figueiredo – landing a third round doctor’s stoppage TKO victory.

Brandon Moreno meets Alexandre Pantoja for the fourth time in combat sports

For Pantoja, the current #2 ranked flyweight contender has enjoyed a three-fight winning run since 2020, most recently handing Alex Perez a neck crank submission loss at UFC 277 in July of last year in the pair’s championship-eliminator. News of Brandon Moreno’s title rematch against Pantoja was first reported by Freak.MMA on Instagram, with ESPN MMA corroborating the report.

“A flyweight title fight between Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja is set for UFC 290 on July 8. in Las Vegas, UFC Chief Business Officer, Hunter Campbell confirmed to Marc Raimondi. 

First meeting at UFC Fight Night Santiago back in 2018, Pantoja managed to hand Moreno his second consecutive loss under the promotion’s banner with a unanimous decision victory at the Chile event.

The duo initially featured on The Ultimate Fighter 24 back in 2016, with Pantoja once more prevailing with a rear-naked choke submission win in the pair’s Round of 16 exhibition bout.

Prior to his successful title unification win against Figueiredo at the beginning of the year, Moreno struck interim flyweight gold with another rematch win over Kai Kara-France – stopping the New Zealander with a third round body kick at the above-mentioned, UFC 277 event.

A featherweight championship unification bout between champion, Alexander Volkanovski, and interim gold holder, Yair Rodriguez is also expected to feature on the International Fight Week card. 

Demetrious Johnson Gives Stamp Of Approval To UFC Champion

When Demetrious Johnson was the UFC flyweight champion, the division suffered to some degree because of how dominant he was. No one could knock “Mighty Mouse” off the top spot and that gave his fights a feeling of predictability, because he was levels above all challengers. After he left the UFC following his loss to […]

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When Demetrious Johnson was the UFC flyweight champion, the division suffered to some degree because of how dominant he was.

No one could knock “Mighty Mouse” off the top spot and that gave his fights a feeling of predictability, because he was levels above all challengers.

After he left the UFC following his loss to Henry Cejudo, the division became a lot more competitive and after title reigns from Cejudo, Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno, a new champion has started to make his mark at 125 pounds.

Alexandre Pantoja has produced back-to-back title defenses since becoming champion at UFC 290 last year and the flyweight GOAT believes that the Brazilian is here to stay.

Demetrious Johnson Says Alexandre Pantoja Was Underappreciated, Doesn’t See Him Losing The Title Soon

In a recent appearance on the JAXXON Podcast, Johnson gave his thoughts on the man that currently holds the title that once belonged to him.

The current flyweight king in ONE Championship is a big fan of Pantoja and said that he has been for a long time, after feeling like he was underappreciated for many years.

“I think he’s great. Alex Pantoja, I’ve always felt he’s been a dark horse at the beginning of his career in the UFC… I just felt, well to begin with, I feel like the flyweight division always had a hard time picking up any traction. This isn’t something new, I mean even when I was a champion in the UFC, it wasn’t the most popular in the whole roster of the UFC and I think Alex Pantoja, he came into The Ultimate Fighter, he didn’t win The Ultimate Fighter, Tim Elliott ended up winning it.”

As he stated, Pantoja made his way into the promotion through The Ultimate Fighter where if he had won the series, he would’ve challenged Johnson for the title.

Johnson then went on to say how in his opinion, there aren’t many contenders left for Pantoja that aren’t rematches because he beat many of them on his way to the title already.

The one exception being Muhammad Mokaev, who is no longer in the UFC after the promotion chose not to resign him at the end of July.

Due to this reason, “Mighty Mouse” doesn’t see Pantoja losing his grasp at 125 pounds anytime soon.

“It’s his [Pantoja’s] division and I think it’s his time to shine. He’s worked very hard his whole entire career and I’m very happy for him.”

Read also: Brandon Moreno Set To Return In UFC Fight Night Edmonton Main Event On Nov. 2

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Report: Brandon Moreno wants to fight Alexandre Pantoja in June

Brandon Moreno, Alexandre PantojaBrandon Moreno has his eyes set for a title defense against Alexandre Pantoja in June. The two-time UFC champion did reveal that he is interested in the matchup pending a knee MRI, according to Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports.  The Tijuana native recaptured the UFC flyweight title from long-time rival Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 283 […]

Brandon Moreno, Alexandre Pantoja

Brandon Moreno has his eyes set for a title defense against Alexandre Pantoja in June. The two-time UFC champion did reveal that he is interested in the matchup pending a knee MRI, according to Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports. 

The Tijuana native recaptured the UFC flyweight title from long-time rival Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Moreno was able to end their four-fight series by third-round TKO.

Brandon Moreno is Familiar With Alexandre Pantoja

‘The Assassin Baby’ is now interested in fighting another former opponent in Pantoja. The two 125-pounders have met twice. Their first meeting was an exhibition bout during the 24th season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) in 2016 and then two years later at UFC Fight Night 129. 

After his win at UFC 283, Moreno had a backstage interaction with Pantoja. During the post-fight press conference, Moreno said his past opponent “was very friendly” at first but quickly became “a little bit aggressive”. Moreno expressed interest in fighting his former opponent but still has to have an MRI on his knee that he injured during fight camp. 

Pantoja is officially 1-0 over the current flyweight champion. He has a unanimous decision win over Moreno in 2018. He also submitted Moreno with a rear-naked choke on TUF but exhibition wins don’t count towards official records. 

Brandon Moreno Details Backstage Exchange With Alexandre Pantoja Post-UFC 283

Newly crowned UFC flyweight champ Brandon Moreno didn’t even get to his dressing room before challengers offered to fight him next. Moreno regained the title he lost to Deiveson Figueiredo in January last year with a doctor-stoppage TKO of the Br…

Newly crowned UFC flyweight champ Brandon Moreno didn’t even get to his dressing room before challengers offered to fight him next. Moreno regained the title he lost to Deiveson Figueiredo in January last year with a doctor-stoppage TKO of the Brazilian at UFC 283 tonight. Figueiredo almost defended his crown after locking in a few…

Continue Reading Brandon Moreno Details Backstage Exchange With Alexandre Pantoja Post-UFC 283 at MMA News.

Steve Erceg On Potential Alexandre Pantoja Rematch: ‘I Don’t Know What I’m Going To Do If Some Other Guy Can Beat Him…’

The learning curve once a fighter joins the UFC roster roster can often be a steep one. Many fighters take some time to find their feet and work their way toward chasing a spot inside the rankings, and dreams of fighting for a title often have to be put on hold while they settle into […]

Continue Reading Steve Erceg On Potential Alexandre Pantoja Rematch: ‘I Don’t Know What I’m Going To Do If Some Other Guy Can Beat Him…’ at MMA News.

The learning curve once a fighter joins the UFC roster roster can often be a steep one. Many fighters take some time to find their feet and work their way toward chasing a spot inside the rankings, and dreams of fighting for a title often have to be put on hold while they settle into the big leagues and slowly carve out a name for themselves.

Not so for Steve Erceg.

The Australian flyweight, who is set to face Kai Kara-France at UFC 305 later this summer, only made his debut inside the Octagon in June 2023 when he beat David Dvo?ák by unanimous decision in Canada at UFC 289. He followed that up with another win at UFC 295 against Alessandro Costa, before picking up a highlight reel knockout of Matt Schnell in March of this year.

In a surprising turn of events, the 28-year-old was drafted in to fight Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight title in the main event of UFC 301 in Rio De Janeiro just two months later. While the fight didn’t go his way, “AstroBoy” believes the experience will stand him in good stead going forward.

“I feel like more people know who I am now,” Erceg said during an interview with Submission Radio this week. “That’s obviously good for getting big fights and opportunities, so that’s great, and I found out that I can hang at that level.

“He’s beat a lot of contenders, basically everybody in the division, so the fact that I was able to hang there for five rounds, and I felt that I was the one coming over the top at the end…that was awesome. It just obviously sucks that I have to look at his record now with my name associated with it, but whatever.”

Erceg Aiming For Rematch With Pantoja Post-UFC 305

Erceg was also asked whether he thinks a rematch could be on the cards, and if he believes Pantoja will still be the one holding the belt by the time he’s able to work his way back into title contention.

“I really hope he’s still the champion because I don’t know what I’m gonna do if some other guy can beat him and I f**kin’ couldn’t. … I don’t like to swear, but…yeah, so I’d prefer if it was him at the top still. We’ll sort it out.”

Continue Reading Steve Erceg On Potential Alexandre Pantoja Rematch: ‘I Don’t Know What I’m Going To Do If Some Other Guy Can Beat Him…’ at MMA News.

Manel Kape Claims Muhammad Mokaev Stopped Training At ATT After Being Constantly Submitted By Alexandre Pantoja

UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape has heard some things regarding past training sessions between his upcoming opponent Muhammad Mokaev and champion Alexandre Pantoja. Having had a weight miss and an injury keep him out for the entirety of 2024 thus far, Kape is set to finally make his return to action at this weekend’s UFC […]

Continue Reading Manel Kape Claims Muhammad Mokaev Stopped Training At ATT After Being Constantly Submitted By Alexandre Pantoja at MMA News.

UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape has heard some things regarding past training sessions between his upcoming opponent Muhammad Mokaev and champion Alexandre Pantoja.

Having had a weight miss and an injury keep him out for the entirety of 2024 thus far, Kape is set to finally make his return to action at this weekend’s UFC 304 pay-per-view at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England.

To stake his claim for a first title shot on MMA’s biggest stage and rematch with Pantoja, “Starboy” is tasked with blemishing the perfect UFC and professional record of Britain’s Mokaev.

Given what he’s seen from “The Punisher’s” recent fights, Kape has appeared extremely confident about his chances of doing so.

While yet to taste defeat in the cage, Mokaev’s latest victories have seemingly left plenty to be desired in the eyes of some fans and peers. That includes in the mind of Pantoja, who has requested to see more from the former IMMAF champion if he’s to challenge for the belt.

And when it comes to Mokaev’s chances against “The Cannibal,” Kape recently explained why he expects “The Punisher” to be exposed against the division’s elite…

Kape: Mokaev ‘Tapped A Lot’ To Pantoja At ATT

During his appearance at UFC 304 media day on Wednesday, Kape looked ahead to his battle with Mokaev on Saturday night.

When discussing the champ’s comments about his opponent, “Starboy” referenced their history training together at American Top Team. Kape claimed that Mokaev no longer heads to the Coconut Creek-based facility to train due to the struggles he had on the ground against Pantoja.

“Pantoja can say a lot of things of him because they trained before together, and I know Pantoja had been submitting him a lot, a lot,” Kape said. “He (Mokaev) tapped a lot. It’s the reason that Mokaev don’t go train more at ATT.”

If that’s true, it seemingly wouldn’t be a surprise for Kape, whose analysis of Mokaev’s game has led to him identifying plenty of mistakes for high-level flyweights to exploit inside the Octagon.

“There is a lot of mistakes. He’s been struggling a lot. A lot, a lot of mistakes. If he faces somebody in the top three of the UFC (flyweight) rankings, he’s gonna get finished. So it’s gonna be fun.”

Kape will hope that also applies to some further down the pecking order, with the Angola-born Portuguese flyweight currently occupying the #8 position on the 125-pound ladder.

He’ll be looking to climb further toward contention and perhaps secure a top five spot by putting on a standout performance on UK soil this weekend.

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