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Brandon Royval Sees “Strong Possibility” UFC Newcomer Could Beat Alexandre Pantoja

Brandon Royval is set to return this weekend at the UFC Apex where he faces the undefeated Tatsuro Taira in the main event. Even after beating Brandon Moreno last time out to cement his status as the #1-ranked flyweight in the division, handing Taira his first win may not be enough for him to secure […]

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Brandon Royval is set to return this weekend at the UFC Apex where he faces the undefeated Tatsuro Taira in the main event.

Even after beating Brandon Moreno last time out to cement his status as the #1-ranked flyweight in the division, handing Taira his first win may not be enough for him to secure a second title shot.

“Raw Dog” has already suffered two defeats to the current champion, Alexandre Pantoja, which makes it significantly harder to put him straight back in.

Royval spoke in a recent interview with Inside Fighting about how the talk of who will be Pantoja’s next challenger has been pretty quiet.

After he faced a surprising opponent in Steve Erceg last time out, it would have likely been Muhammad Mokaev as the next in line if he was still with the promotion.

Royval, however, believes that it could be a new arrival into the division that is next for the champ.

Brandon Royval Says That Kai Asakura Could Be The Man To Beat Alexandre Pantoja

Earlier this year in June, the UFC was announced to have signed RIZIN bantamweight champion Kai Asakura.

The 30-year old Japanese star has got a huge fan following back in his native country and by all accounts, would be jumping in at the deep end once he arrived inside the Octagon.

Royval took this as him facing Pantoja down at 125-pounds, as he told Inside Fighting.

“I mean I thought it was Kai Asakura. I thought that was who the next fight would be and I was like, if I win this fight, I’m just gonna call out Pantoja or Asakura. But I mean I’ve still never heard anything so maybe it’s like I’m just starting these rumours myself.”

Royval was also asked how he would feel about someone new entering the promotion and jumping right into a title shot.

His response was that someone new being the champion would help his case for another title shot and in his opinion, Asakura would have a good chance of beating Pantoja.

“Oh I don’t give a s***, as long as it doesn’t affect my road, it would be dope if he wins because if he wins, I for sure get the next title shot. In my opinion, I don’t really care. I just try to get in there when I fit in there so I think if he wins and beats Alexandre Pantoja, which I think is a strong possibility, then I could go fight Kai Asakura.”

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Steve Erceg Highlights Biggest Lesson Learned From Alexandre Pantoja Title Loss Ahead Of UFC 305 Return

Having narrowly fallen short of the UFC flyweight title three months ago, Steve Erceg is returning to action with the knowledge that he can compete with the elite of the division. Erceg, who currently occupies the #7 spot at 125 pounds, will be among the home fighters featuring at this weekend’s UFC 305 pay-per-view, which […]

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Having narrowly fallen short of the UFC flyweight title three months ago, Steve Erceg is returning to action with the knowledge that he can compete with the elite of the division.

Erceg, who currently occupies the #7 spot at 125 pounds, will be among the home fighters featuring at this weekend’s UFC 305 pay-per-view, which goes down inside the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

“AstroBoy” has been able to make a relatively quick turnaround to compete in his city, returning after emerging from Brazil without the flyweight title in his possession this past May.

The 29-year-old received a surprise title shot after just three fights in the UFC, looking to cash in on favorable circumstances at the expense of champion Alexandre Pantoja in the UFC 301 main event.

While unsuccessful in that endeavor, Erceg had plenty of positives to take away from the five-round defeat, and he’ll carry them into his return against Kai Kara-France on August 17…

Erceg On UFC 301 Loss: ‘I Learned That I Am Near The Top’

During a recent interview with New York Post Sports, Erceg looked ahead to his fifth outing on MMA’s biggest stage and chance to bounce back from his first UFC defeat.

When asked about his opening experience competing with UFC gold on the line, “AstroBoy” spoke of the added confidence he has having proven that he can hang with the best possible opposition in the flyweight division.

“I learned that I am near the top of the division,” Erceg said. “I always believed it, but even though I lost, the fact I was able to go five rounds, I did get up, he didn’t take my back, I was able to land; there was a lot of good things that came out of it.

“Also, obviously, a lot of things that I did wrong or he did well that I have to improve so that next time I get an opportunity like that, I can go there not as a good effort, but as a world champion,” Erceg continued. “That’s probably the biggest things I learned.”

Erceg’s first step toward working his way back toward Pantoja and the gold in “The Cannibal’s” possession comes this weekend.

And with a leading contender in Muhammad Mokaev being removed from the picture after his shock exit from the UFC, “AstroBoy” may not be far from a second shot given the competitive nature of his performance in Rio de Janeiro and the high ranking of his next opponent.

Read More: Steve Erceg Backs ‘Precedent’ Set By Releasing Muhammad Mokaev After Alleged Behavior Toward UFC Staff

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Pantoja’s Coach: Title Defense Against Former Two-Weight Champion ‘Doesn’t Make Any Sense’

UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja’s coach, Marcos “Parrumpa” da Matta of American Top Team, recently weighed on the potential opponents for “The Cannibal’s” title defense upon his return to the Octagon. Pantoja successfully defended his title for the second time with a commanding unanimous decision victory over Steve Erceg in the main event of UFC […]

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Pantoja successfully defended his title for the second time with a commanding unanimous decision victory over Steve Erceg in the main event of UFC 301 this past May in front of his home crowd at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

During a media interaction at UFC International Fight Week in June, Pantoja told journalists that he is already negotiating a major fight for his return against an opponent that “no one expects.”

While the Brazilian remained tight-lipped about the specific contender, his coach now has a particular name in mind…

‘Parrumpa’ Plays Matchmaker For Pantoja

During a recent interview with Sherdog.com, da Matta delved into the potential opponents for Pantoja’s next fight. The seasoned MMA coach highlighted that the most logical contender for Pantoja is the undefeated Japanese flyweight sensation Tatsuro Taira.

“I think that the most natural names will be—I mean, I think, to be honest, that the name that makes more sense right now is Tatsuro Taira,” da Matta said. “Because he’s already had some fights in the UFC; he finished [Alex] Perez. I’m not gonna say it was a fluke, but it was an injury. Nonetheless, it was a finish.”

He also explained why other contenders, such as Amir Albazi and former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo, do not make sense for Pantoja’s next title defense.

“I don’t think Albazi is ready. He’s been a long time getting hurt, trying to get better, so I don’t think he’s in a position to go for a title shot. His last fight was a while ago, and a lot of people thought he lost… I think Cejudo doesn’t make any sense for the UFC because he retired when he was on top. He beat Dominick Cruz, which was amazing, then retired. He came back, wasn’t that great, lost, and went back to retirement. Now he’s going to come back in the weight division below 135 [pounds] and fight for the belt? And then what happens if he wins? Is he going to defend, or is he going to retire again?”

Following his TKO victory over Perez at a Fight Night event in June, Taira expressed his desire for a title shot against “The Cannibal” in 2024, aiming to become the first Japanese champion in UFC history. He is set to headline an upcoming event at the UFC Apex against former title challenger Brandon Royval on October 12.

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

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UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja dreams of one day fighting P4P great Demetrious Johnson

Whether it’s in the Octagon or at the gym, Alexandre Pantoja hopes he’ll have the chance to fight Demetrious…

Whether it’s in the Octagon or at the gym, Alexandre Pantoja hopes he’ll have the chance to fight Demetrious Johnson one day.

Considered by many to be the greatest flyweight of all time and one of the P4P best fighters in MMA history, ‘Mighty Mouse’ holds just about every major record in the UFC’s 125-pound weight class. During his reign at the top of the division from 2012 to 2018, Johnson scored 11 consecutive title defenses and is a nine-time performance bonus winner, taking home an extra 50k for his work against the likes of John Dodson, Joseph Benavidez, Kyoji Horiguchi, Henry Cejudo, and Ray Borg.

So it should come as no surprise that ‘DJ’ is at the top of Pantoja’s list of dream fights.

“That’s a dream fight for me, of course,” Pantoja told Ike Feldman of Give Me Sport. “I’ll wait for him. Maybe we can fight in the UFC or maybe I can go to the gym and we can fight together, but that’s someone I want to train [with], fight [with], or something like that. I’ve had the chance to train his Henry Cejudo, trained with [Marlon] Moraes, and I miss Demetrious Johnson. I hope this can happen one day.

“That would be pretty huge for me. I respect the GOAT. I think I’m too far from his legacy, but I try to do my best every day.”

UFC Flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja looks in the camera and says his dream fight is vs. the GOAT @MightyMouse !!! pic.twitter.com/DIwrW59xdL

— Ike Feldman (@IkeFeldman) June 28, 2024

Alexandre Pantoja will have to head to ONE Championship if he wants a piece of ‘Mighty mouse’

Pantoja, of course, is the UFC’s reigning flyweight world champion, having dispatched fan favorite Brandon Moreno to capture the crown in July 2023. Since then, ‘The Cannibal’ has bagged two title defenses, defeating Brandon Royval and Steve Erceg in his last two outings.

Unfortunately, if Pantoja ever hopes to score a fight with Demetrious Johnson, he’ll likely have to jump ship to ONE Championship, the promotion that ‘Mighty Mouse’ currently calls home.

After dropping the flyweight title to ‘Triple C’ at UFC 227, ‘DJ’ was shipped off to ONE in exchange for former Bellator and ONE world champion Ben Askren. Upon arrival in the Singapore-based organization, Johnson scored three straight wins en route to his first ONE flyweight MMA title opportunity against then-champion Andriano Moraes. Johnson came up short in their first meeting but bounced back 16 months later, finishing Moraes in their ONE on Prime Video 1 rematch with a highlight-reel flying knee knockout.

Johnson closed out his first career trilogy against Moraes at ONE Fight Night 10 in The Mile High City—Denver, Colorado—landing a decisive decision victory to retain the title and take the series 2-1.

Though Johnson has left the door open for a return to MMA, ‘Mighty Mouse’ is closing in on retirement, but remains active in the world of combat sports, regularly competing and taking home gold at various IBJJF grappling tournaments around the country.

Alexandre Pantoja eyes ‘Dream’ fight with Demetrious Johnson after UFC 301: ‘I have all the respect for him’

Off the back of his close unanimous decision win over challenger, Steve Erceg over the course of the weekend…

Off the back of his close unanimous decision win over challenger, Steve Erceg over the course of the weekend at UFC 301, undisputed flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja has admitted he hopes to land a fight with former divisional star, Demetrious Johnson in the future.

Pantoja, the current undisputed flyweight titleholder, headlined in his first outing in his native Brazil since joining in the promotion over the course of the weekend, landing a close, albeit debated decision victory against Perth native, Erceg – successfully defending his flyweight crown for the second time since his reign began last summer.

Pantoja UFC 301 title — Mandatory Credit: Alexandre Loureiro/Zuffa LLC

As for Johnson, the former undisputed UFC flyweight champion and current ONE Championship gold holder, has still yet to return to mixed martial arts competition since he defeated Pantoja’s compatriot, Adriano Moraes in a trilogy rubber match back in May of last year.

Pantoja UFC 301 — Mandatory Credit: Alexandre Loureiro/Zuffa LLC

And sharing his thoughts on Pantoja’s victory over Erceg, Johnson, recognized as arguably the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all-time, questioned if the Brazilian likely should have actually retained his crown on home soil.

Alexandre Pantoja eyes Demetrious Johnson clash

However, off the back of Johnson’s comments, Pantoja has noted his desire to actually share the Octagon with the veteran star in the future – describing a future pairing as a “dream” matchup for him.

Adriano Moraes Demetrious Johnson ONE on Prime Video 1 1920X1280 63

“I think that’s the dream for me,” Alexandre Pantoja told MMA Fighting of a fight with Demetrious Johnson. “I don’t like to say I have dreams because I want to live everything I have in my life. I think [to] live is better than [to] dream.”

“But if I dream about something, it’s to fight with Demetrious Johnson,” Alexandre Pantoja explained. “I have all respect for him. If he don’t wan’t to fight, maybe I go to the gym and train with him, make hard sparring.”

Who wins in a potential clash: Alexandre Pantoja or Demetrious Johnson?

Steve Erceg opens up on close title fight defeat against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301: ‘I blew it’

Steve Erceg believes he blew his chance to become the UFC flyweight champion on Saturday at UFC 301. Erceg…

Steve Erceg believes he blew his chance to become the UFC flyweight champion on Saturday at UFC 301.

Erceg was fighting Alexandre Pantoja in the main event of the pay-per-view card in just his fourth UFC fight. It was an incredible rise for Erceg to even fight for the belt, but he came up just short against Pantoja, and he believes he blew his chance.

“I really thought if I could get him down I would eat up the time on the ground and make him even more tired,” Steve Erceg told FULL SEND MMA in the aftermath of UFC 301 (via MMAJunkie). “So I probably would’ve done the exact same thing. Next time I just need to be better at is. I thought it could’ve been 2-2 or 3-1 for him. I knew it was close in the third. I knew I was on the fourth. I fought to win the last round to put myself in the position that I give myself a chance. I blew it.”

Erceg shot a late takedown in the fifth round, and Pantoja ended up scrambling to get on top, and rode out the round, which could have been the difference. With Erceg leaving Brazil without the belt, he says he’s devastated by his decision but vows to be back.

“I’m obviously devastated,” Erceg said. “Despite the short notice, or three fights in the UFC, I came to win. I thought I could do it. I thought I was finishing over the top, but he out-scrambled me. He did better, and I’ll be back.”

Alexandre Pantoja Praises Steve Erceg

After UFC 301, Alexandre Pantoja heaped praise on Steve Erceg for how tough he was.

Pantoja edged out a unanimous decision win to defeat Steve Erceg and defend his flyweight title for the second time. After the win, the Brazilian had nothing but kind words to say to Erceg, but he believes he clearly won the fight.

“I think I clearly won the first three rounds of the fight,” Pantoja said through a translator at his UFC 301 post-fight media scrum (via MMAFighting). “The fourth round could of been his. The fifth round was mine, so I definitely think it was 4-1. The guy was very tough. It was what we said. This is a guy from Australia, very tough, that people didn’t really know, and he came in there to die. He was prepared to die and I think that’s what it’s all about when you fight for the championship.”

With the win at UFC 301, Pantoja improved to 28-5 as a pro. As for what’s next for him, he isn’t sure but Pantoja knows he likely will face him again in the future.

“I really want to see him against a top-five guy in this division,” Pantoja said of Steve Erceg. “I want to see how he works out. I think he’s going to gain a lot of space in this division, but right now I’m not thinking about that. I don’t want to think about the gym or fighting, I want to think about the beach. … Maybe tomorrow that changes, but for now that’s it.”