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Belal Out, Alexandre Pantoja In? Flyweight Champ Seeks Main Event Spot at UFC 310 “I’m going to put on a very good show.”

Alexandre Pantoja UFC 310 The UFC flyweight king Alexandre Pantoja has expressed his thoughts on the recent news that Belal Muhammad has been…

The UFC flyweight king Alexandre Pantoja has expressed his thoughts on the recent news that Belal Muhammad has been removed from the UFC 310 card due to injury. He is booked in a flyweight title match against Japan’s Kai Asakura, originally booked as the co-main, but the Brazilian champion is campaigning for the main event in Las Vegas on December 7.

Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 310

Brazil’s Alexandre Pantoja has produced some of the most exciting matchups in the UFC with wins against fighters such as Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, and Brandon Moreno, among others. He is set to face the RIZIN world champion Kai Asakura at UFC 310. Japan’s Asakura is recognized for punching power and boxing.

Belal Muhammad was booked to face the unbeaten Shavkat Rakhmonov in a welterweight title match but was forced to withdraw due to injury. UFC 310 is reportedly without a main event. Some have speculated that an interim welterweight title match will be booked or the light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira will face a last-minute opponent. But, Alexandre Pantoja is asking, why not him?

In an interview with Mike Heck, the Brazilian champion Alexandre Pantoja explained:

“I heard about Belal [being] hurt like two days ago in my gym before and I said, ‘It’s right?,’” But it’s just talk, the guys just talking about it and then [earlier] I just seen the video [with him] in hospital with his feet. That’s a real, real problem on there, and this happens [at] a lot in the MMA gyms, some infections [on] the floor, they go to the gym. … I just [have] one main event in my life — in my last fight in Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro, and I know there’s some difference [fighting in that spot].“

Alexandre Pantoja continued:

“You need to do more stuff to sell your pay-per-view, sell your fight, and let’s go. It’s a good time to learn about that. I think what everybody knows about is how I’m fighting, and after, I took a little break — maybe people don’t realize that, but I took a little break. My last fight was in May and now I fight in December, and this break is very good for me, for my family, you know.”

“And now I feel super fresh for that fight because I had a good time, my family had a good time and now we’re in camp again. And we can see the difference in the house because my family breathes my fights. After all, this happened for so many years. I know, 100 percent, I’m going to put on a very good show. I don’t like to say I’m going to finish that guy, I do my job, but, 100 percent, I’m in the best shape of my life.”

On facing the RIZIN world champion Kai Asakura, he added

“That’s what everybody wants to see: The best [in the] UFC versus another promotion, another champion for all the world, and I have the opportunity. I’m very happy with the opponent for me, and more because I have [fought in main] events and Asakura [is] very popular in Japan, and I know [that] the Japanese buy a lot of pay-per-views too. That’s very good.”

Alexandre Pantoja Explains Why He Isn’t Interested In Moving Divisions

Many UFC fighters are quick to talk about their desire to move up the weight classes in order to achieve success in multiple divisions. This is not a current priority or goal for UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja. The Brazilian has already defended his title twice since beating Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 to finally […]

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The Brazilian has already defended his title twice since beating Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 to finally realize his dream of holding the gold. Alongside successful defenses over Brandon Royval and Steve Erceg, Pantoja has already beaten other top contenders in Alex Perez and Manel Kape.

This doesn’t leave the champion with an abundance of options for new challenges when you look at who’s at the top right now, hence why new star signing Kai Asakura will be going straight into a title fight at UFC 310 on December 7. Despite this, Pantoja does not have plans to move to bantamweight in the near future.

In a recent interview with Sherdog, he said that in his opinion, the flyweight division has never been better when you look at the quality of fights and talent. He’s extremely happy where he is, especially whilst he’s on top.

“Flyweight have the best moment ever. We have a lot of main events, a lot of best fights of the night, a lot of bonuses. All the flyweight fights, you make sure that the fight is going to be crazy. I’m super happy with that moment and when I look to the back, I see a lot of good challengers, especially guys coming into the top 10, top 15. New guys in the UFC, that’s crazy. You see Taira make a close fight with Royval. You see Asu (Almabayev) fight beautiful fight with Matheus Nicolau too. You have a lot of good names coming for that division and now, one more, Kai Asakura, is going to be great. I think that’s the best moment for flyweight in UFC.”

Pantoja also said that his desire to move up to bantamweight depends on two things, a potential fight with Sean O’Malley or a rematch with Deiveson Figueiredo but neither are champions right now.

Continue Reading Alexandre Pantoja Explains Why He Isn’t Interested In Moving Divisions at MMA News.

Alexandre Pantoja Predicts Moreno vs. Albazi Winner At UFC Edmonton

This weekend in Edmonton, top five flyweights meet in the main event as Amir Albazi looks for his biggest win to date when facing the former champion, Brandon Moreno. We already know who Alexander Pantoja’s next title challenger is but either man can put themselves in the mix with a win here. For Moreno, it’s […]

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For Moreno, it’s going to be hard for him to earn a shot at Pantoja after losing to the Brazilian champion three times in his career. It’s still important for the Mexican star to bounce back here following his loss to Brandon Royval in February.

Albazi is one of the few new contenders at the top of the rankings who would provide a new challenge for Pantoja, assuming that the champion is able to retain the title in his fight with Kai Asakura at UFC 310 in December. He’s riding a five-fight winning streak since signing with the UFC and adding Moreno to that list will put him within reach.

In a recent interview with Sherdog, Pantoja gave his thoughts on how he sees this weekend’s main event playing out. He also spoke about how he sees a fight against the winner playing out if it does happen down the line.

“I think Albazi has more chance to get the victory. He’s very close to fight for the belt, I think he not gonna miss the opportunity, you know. Moreno is an incredible fighter, former champ, but maybe Albazi want more in that moment. Albazi maybe want more and his grappling is very good. I don’t know if Moreno can defend the takedown shots. I don’t know if Moreno, his boxing, can work against Albazi because Albazi moves a lot, he has very good wrestling.

“I think that fight is going to be a decision for Albazi and I don’t want to say like if you have an easy fight or something like that but I like to grapple. I think in that moment right now, a grappler for me, it’s a perfect fight. It’s a good challenge of course, all is different but I have very good jiu-jitsu and I’m very comfortable in the ground game.”

Continue Reading Alexandre Pantoja Predicts Moreno vs. Albazi Winner At UFC Edmonton at MMA News.

RIZIN Star Kai Asakura Responds to Fan Backlash Over UFC 310 Title Fight Against Alexandre Pantoja

RIZIN star Kai Asakura will make his UFC debut on December 7 when the promotion closes out its pay-per-view…

RIZIN star Kai Asakura will make his UFC debut on December 7 when the promotion closes out its pay-per-view scheduled in Las Vegas.

As announced by CEO Dana White, Asakura will challenge reigning flyweight world champion Alexandre Pantoja in the UFC 310 co-main event, a bit of news that has some fans frustrated.

While it’s becoming more common for fighters to earn a title opportunity with just a few fights under their belt i.e. Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka, seeing a newcomer immediately step into the title picture and challenge an established champion while simultaneously skipping a line of top 10 contenders is unusual, even for UFC standards.

As a result, fans are lashing out about Asakura’s “unearned” opportunity, but that’s certainly nothing new for the two-time RIZIN titleholder.

“A lot of people say I can’t win a title match, but I’ve overcome similar adversity and I believe I can win, and I’ll prove it in the cage,” Asakura wrote in a translated post on X.

Brandon Royval Reacts to Kai Asakura’s Title Opportunity

One man who will be watching Pantoja vs. Asakura very closely is Brandon Royval. The one-time title challenger secured a big win over Tatsuro Taira in the UFC Vegas 98 headliner on Saturday, re-establishing himself as the division’s top-ranked contender.

In all likelihood, he’ll fight the winner of December’s flyweight title tilt.

Asked for his take on Asakura’s opportunity during the post-fight press conference, Royval said:

”I’ve been watching Kai Asakura for a while, I think he’s sick. I think there’s a lot of cool things, he’s yet to make flyweight. So I’ll be there and I’ll be ready just in case he doesn’t. That being said, I’ll give the man his roses, I think he brings a lot of excitement to the division but I think if Pantoja grapples him at all it’s gonna be over”

Asakura is 21-4 in his mixed martial arts career with 13 wins by way of knockout and three submissions. He is a two-time RIZIN bantamweight champion and was a 2021 Bantamweight World Grand Prix runner-up.

UFC Matchmaking Bulletin: Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates Headlines UFC Vegas 100

MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring all the additions to upcoming cards. With UFC events being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill them, meaning new bouts are confirmed each and every week. Between Monday, October 7, and […]

Continue Reading UFC Matchmaking Bulletin: Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates Headlines UFC Vegas 100 at MMA News.

MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring all the additions to upcoming cards.

With UFC events being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill them, meaning new bouts are confirmed each and every week.

Between Monday, October 7, and Sunday, October 13, a couple of notable fights were made official by the UFC or reported by reputable sources. For more information on those matchups, check out the links below:

A number of lower-profile matchups also came together. For those, check out this week’s quick hits:

But it wasn’t all positive, with two fights being adjusted. For those, see below:

Continue Reading UFC Matchmaking Bulletin: Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates Headlines UFC Vegas 100 at MMA News.

Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov Set For UFC 310 Main Event, Pantoja Defense Co-headlines

The UFC will close out its pay-per-view schedule for 2024 with two major championship fights in Las Vegas on December 7. With the final quarter of this year well underway, mixed martial arts’ leading promotion is beginning to fill the remaining slots on its fight schedule. And in two of the most prominent ones now […]

Continue Reading Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov Set For UFC 310 Main Event, Pantoja Defense Co-headlines at MMA News.

The UFC will close out its pay-per-view schedule for 2024 with two major championship fights in Las Vegas on December 7.

With the final quarter of this year well underway, mixed martial arts’ leading promotion is beginning to fill the remaining slots on its fight schedule. And in two of the most prominent ones now sit reigning titleholders.

UFC CEO Dana White took to social media on Saturday to announce the headline bouts for UFC 310, the promotion’s final PPV of the year.

Closing out 2024 in style, a highly anticipated welterweight title fight between newly crowned champion Belal Muhammad (24-3, 1 NC) and undefeated challenger Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0) will top the lineup inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

There will also be title stakes in the co-headliner, as flyweight kingpin Alexandre Pantoja (28-5) returns for his second defense of the year and third overall. Having turned away the threats posed by Brandon Royval and Steve Erceg, “The Cannibal” will next share the cage with a newcomer in former Rizin champ Kai Asakura (21-4).

Muhammad captured the 170-pound gold in enemy territory this past July, beating Leon Edwards in dominant fashion to extend his unbeaten run to 11 straight fights. Rakhmonov, meanwhile, has won all six of his Octagon outings to date, submitting both Geoff Neal and Stephen Thompson in his most recent fights.

Pantoja is deeper into his reign on the throne at 125 pounds, having held the crown since a memorable win over Brandon Moreno in the summer of 2023. After a scare against Australia’s Erceg in Rio de Janeiro earlier this year, the Brazilian will look to increase his grip on the title against a highly regarded debutant in Japan’s Asakura.

White also confirmed that Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov and Vicente Luque vs. Nick Diaz — matchups postponed from cards in October and August, respectively — have been rescheduled for the same event.

With these additions, the current fights expected to take place at UFC 310 on Dec. 7 are as follows:

Belal Muhammad (C) vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov (welterweight championship main event)
Alexandre Pantoja (C) vs. Kai Asakura (flyweight championship co-main event)
Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov (heavyweight)
Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling (featherweight)
Vicente Luque vs. Nick Diaz (welterweight)
Tatiana Suarez vs. Virna Jandiroba (women’s strawweight)
Anthony Smith vs. Dominick Reyes (light heavyweight)
Michael Chiesa vs. Max Griffin (welterweight)
Clay Guida vs. Chase Hooper (lightweight)
Cody Durden vs. Joshua Van (flyweight)

Continue Reading Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov Set For UFC 310 Main Event, Pantoja Defense Co-headlines at MMA News.