Alexandre Pantoja recently shared his thoughts on Joshua Van ahead of their flyweight title fight at UFC 323. The reigning flyweight champion isn’t overlooking the young, surging contender as he aims to continue his reign. UFC 323 takes place this Saturday and marks the promotion’s final pay-per-view under its current media rights deal with ESPN.
Pantoja has already had a legendary title reign. He has defeated several top contenders, some more than once, and now looks to add Van to the list.
During an interview with Stake, Pantoja acknowledged that Van’s journey to the UFC and his personal hardships make him a dangerous opponent. ‘The Cannibal’ explained that the flyweight contender has overcome significant obstacles, giving him extra motivation to become champion.
“Moving from his country, coming to America, starting something new, losing his father, and needing to take care of his mother. That’s a dangerous combination,” Pantoja said. “A lot of fighters are very good, they choose to fight, they chose to be athletes. But when a fighter has something more, like [Van] has, you need to be very sharp.”
He continued:
“[Van’s] young, hungry, motivated and has a reason why he fights. This makes it very, very tough for me.”
Alexandre Pantoja Intends to Deliver Dominant Performance at UFC 323
Alexandre Pantoja also shared insight into his mindset ahead of UFC 323 and revealed that he aims to deliver a dominant performance. The fight will mark his fifth title defense since becoming champion in 2023.
Pantoja has solidified his status as one of the greatest flyweight title reigns in UFC history. He still has a long way to go if he wants to surpass Demetrious Johnson‘s flyweight title defense record. However, there’s no denying he is one of the greatest flyweights of all time.
Speaking with Stake, Pantoja said he believes he needs a dominant win to silence his critics.
“You’re never good enough, you know? And I really don’t care. I do my job. I go very hard every day in the gym. My training partners know how much I want it,” Pantoja said. “I don’t just want to go on Dec. 6 to defend the belt, I want to conquer, I want to prove I’m the champion of the world.”
Pantoja Aiming for Top Spot in UFC Pound-for-Pound Rankings
Pantoja also revealed that he is aiming for the top spot in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings. He has been a fixture in that debate alongside champions, including Merab Dvalishvili and Islam Makhachev.
Currently, Makhachev holds the No. 1 spot after moving up to welterweight and defeating Jack Della Maddalena to become the new champion.
If Pantoja wants that spot, he faces tough competition. Dvalishvili will defend his bantamweight title against Petr Yan in the UFC 323 main event. That fight marks his fourth consecutive title defense this year, which would further strengthen his case.
Pantoja opened up about his aspirations, expressing his excitement on showcasing his skills.
“You have great pound-for-pound champions too, for example Makhachev, [Ilia] Topuria, Merab. Everybody does such an amazing job. I want to be the best of the best,” Pantoja told Stake. “I want to be the number one pound-for-pound fighter, I have a huge chance to prove that on Dec. 6. I’m starting to think about how I can show everybody how good I am.”
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