UFC News & FeaturesRivalries: Alexandre Pantoja
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Pantoja will attempt to improve his standing at 125 pounds when he squares off with Brandon Royval in a three-round UFC on ESPN 29 showcase this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The 31-year-old American Top Team rep has won 16 of his past 19 bouts—a run of sustained success that dates all the way back to 2010. Pantoja last appeared at UFC Fight Night 184, where he took a unanimous decision from former Rizin Fighting Federation champion Manel Kape on Feb. 6.
As Pantoja approaches his hotly anticipated showdown with Royval, a
look at some of the rivalries that have helped shape his
career.
Damacio Page
Pantoja choked “The Angle of Death” unconscious and claimed the inaugural AXS-TV flyweight superfight championship in the second round of their AXS-TV “RFA vs. Legacy” headliner on May 8, 2015 at the Horseshoe Tunica Resort and Casino in Robinsonville, Mississippi. Referee David Ferguson called for the stoppage at the conclusion of Round 2, as the Brazilian released the unresponsive Page from the triangle choke when the horn sounded. Page controlled much of their anticipated showdown, as he twice had the Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion reeling with power punches in the first round before piling up points with ground-and-pound. The Legacy Fighting Championship titleholder assumed top position again in Round 2, dropping punches and hammerfists onto Pantoja. However, Page grew too comfortable in the seasoned grappler’s venomous guard and soon found himself hopelessly trapped in a triangle in the closing seconds.
Brandon Moreno
Crisp combination punching and stinging leg kicks carried Pantoja to a clear-cut unanimous decision over Moreno in a UFC Fight Night 129 prelim on May 19, 2018 at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile. Scores from the three-round flyweight tilt were 30-26, 30-26 and 29-27, all for “The Cannibal.” Never did it feel like a winnable fight for Moreno. Outgunned at virtually every turn, only his toughness kept him afloat. Pantoja tore into him with both hands, sneaky knee strikes and steady leg kicks. He bloodied Moreno’s nose with a wicked jab in the first round before drawing him to the mat, advancing to the back and mauling him with punches. Moreno’s situation did not improve much moving forward. Pantoja continued to connect in combination and refused to stay down when taken down, offering no refuge for his adversary.
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Deiveson Figueiredo
Exquisite head movement, deft footwork and a vastly superior standup arsenal spurred Figueiredo to a unanimous decision over Pantoja in a UFC 240 undercard pairing on July 27, 2019 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. Figueiredo swept the cards with 30-27 scores across the board. Pantoja failed to establish a foothold in the match, struggled to secure takedowns and wound up at the mercy of a far more capable striker. Figueiredo emptied his toolbox with jabs, leg kicks, stepping elbows, uppercuts and everything in between. Pantoja kept his nose in the fight, even as his face was tenderized by clean punches from his counterpart. While he mustered a late rally against Figueiredo, it was to no avail.
Askar Askarov
The former Absolute Championship Akhmat titleholder kept his undefeated record intact with a unanimous decision over Pantoja in their UFC Fight Night 172 flyweight showcase on July 18, 2020 at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. All three judges scored it 29-28 for Askarov. He pushed a merciless pace in the 15-minute affair, closed the distance and hunted takedowns like a madman. Though he was successful on only two of his 15 attempts, he drained Pantoja’s gas tank and waited for fatigue to set in during the second and third rounds. By the time it was over, Askarov had outlanded the Brazilian by a narrow margin and amassed more than five minutes of control time.
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