Alexandre Pantoja aims for recognition not just for himself, but for the entire flyweight division.
The 125-pound champion successfully defended his title for the fourth consecutive time at UFC 317, securing a dominant submission victory over Kai Kara-France. Pantoja demonstrated remarkable toughness and elite grappling, enduring his opponent`s strikes to assert his control over the fight. Kara-France held on until the third round before Pantoja applied a fight-ending rear-naked choke.
Before Saturday`s event, Pantoja was ranked No. 3 in the MMA Fighting Pound-for-Pound Rankings, tied with bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. Following his victory, he believes only one fighter truly deserves to be ranked higher than him.
Pantoja stated at the post-fight press conference, “It doesn`t make sense if I`m not No. 2… I should be right behind Islam Makhachev. It truly doesn`t make sense. Five title fights, eight wins in a row, two submissions, four title defenses – the numbers speak for themselves. The only fighter I accept being ranked above me is Islam Makhachev because his record justifies it.”
He continued, “I try to understand how the pound-for-pound rankings work. Maybe it`s based on total wins, or wins against ranked opponents… I`m not sure. Do they think I need to beat someone like Jack Della Maddalena to climb higher? That`s absurd. I believe it`s time to show more respect for the flyweight division. Joshua Van and Brandon Royval possibly had the Fight of the Night, and I had a very good fight with Kai Kara-France. I think it`s time for people to change their perspective. Flyweight is a highly entertaining division, and things need to change.”
Immediately before Pantoja`s dominant performance against Kara-France, top flyweight contenders Joshua Van and Brandon Royval engaged in a thrilling three-round battle. Although Van won by unanimous decision, both fighters received Fight of the Night bonuses for delivering what could be the most exciting bout of 2025.
Pantoja is convinced the 125-pound division has never been more thrilling, regardless of what some critics might say.
“Little by little, we are changing the perception of the flyweight division,” Pantoja commented. “Fights like the one between Joshua Van and Royval, my own fight with Kai Kara-France, and bouts like Brandon Moreno versus Amir Albazi demonstrate this. We have so many talented fighters. I noticed last year, in 2024, there were many main events featuring flyweights, and I feel like things are starting to shift. That`s fantastic.”
He added, “I see people on YouTube and Instagram making negative comments about my division. I don`t need to address the haters myself. The hardcore fans step up and tell them, `Hey, shut your mouth, casual.` People are beginning to see how good this division is right now, and only we, the fighters, can truly change that perception. I think because everyone in this division respects each other, there isn`t a lot of negative history or bad blood between us.”
Pantoja is now on an impressive eight-fight winning streak in the UFC, with victories over notable opponents including Kara-France, Royval, Moreno, Alex Perez, Manel Kape, and several other top contenders. While he holds immense respect for Demetrious Johnson, widely regarded as the greatest flyweight of all time, Pantoja believes the current division boasts greater depth and diversity than ever before.
“Joshua Van is incredibly good, who can argue with that?” Pantoja remarked. “He defeated Royval. I think Royval made some errors against him, trying to rush the fight too much and not grappling as much. Regarding a potential match with Demetrious Johnson, I`ve said before that I really wanted to fight him. He has stated he`s retired and won`t be coming back. Perhaps it wouldn`t be beneficial for him to return now, because the flyweight division is so different today. The current high level is just different.”
He concluded, “I respect all the fighters who paved the way for us, but right now, especially in my division, you have representatives from all over the world. In the top 10 alone, you find fighters from across the globe: Japan, Africa, Brazil, Russia, Australia, New Zealand. It`s truly amazing to be a part of that.”
