A pivotal flyweight fight between Alexandre Pantoja vs. Deiveison Figueiredo is going down at UFC 240. With champion, Henry Cejudo out, both have said a win here gets them an interim title shot. Whether or not that happens, is to be seen.
“If I win this fight, I want Benavidez,” Pantoja told MMA Junkie. “I think if Benavidez wants to fight Cejudo, he needs to fight me first. I want to fight Cejudo now. I think it’s a great opportunity to fight an Olympic gold medalist and a guy that has two belts.”
Although Pantoja is calling for an interim flyweight title fight, he is not looking past Figueiredo. He knows he is a tough opponent and has only lost once in his career. With that, he is viewing this fight as a title fight.
“Deiveison is a tough opponent,” Pantoja said. “He’s a very dangerous guy. He’s like a Brazilian warrior, like an old-school fighter. I’ve been training all my life for this fight.
“I think all the fights are for the belt because you need step after step to win. If I win this fight, I think I need to fight Benavidez for the interim belt and wait for Cejudo to come back.”
With Cejudo out until 2020, and him being the flyweight and bantamweight champion, Pantoja wants to fight Joseph Benavidez should he win here. There, the two would fight for the interim title and the winner would fight “Triple C” when he is healthy.
“Cejudo is a good friend, I love this guy,” Pantoja said. “I learned a lot from Cejudo – not just game, but mentality. I have this fight on Saturday, and I need to prove that I’m ready for Benavidez.
“All respect to Benavidez, but I’m feeling ready for the title, and I need to fight Benavidez.”
Do you think flyweight needs an interim title fight with Henry Cejudo out?
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