Demetrious Johnson thinks fighting Alexandre Pantoja would have been no easy task.
Johnson defended his UFC flyweight title a promotion record 11 times until he lost to Henry Cejudo in a split decision setback in 2018. “Mighty Mouse” would part ways with the UFC, and go one to capture the ONE Championship flyweight belt.
Johnson never crossed paths with newly crowned UFC flyweight champ Pantoja (25-5 MMA, 9-3 UFC), but if he did, he thinks the Brazilian would have posed a stern test.
“It would be very, very tough,” Johnson told MMA Junkie Radio. “The biggest thing I think Pantoja has is very good jiu-jitsu. He’s very tough. He’s got a great chin. I think I would have to use all my skill set to beat him at that time when I was in the UFC. But he’s well-rounded, he hits hard, he’s dropped people, he’s knocked people out – it would have been a great fight.”
Johnson dominated the UFC flyweight division for years, but is happy to see new talent emerge. Pantoja became the fourth fighter to claim UFC flyweight gold since Johnson lost his belt.
“I’m always happy that any athlete succeeds – especially Pantoja. He just beat Brandon Moreno,” Johnson said. “I’ve always felt Pantoja was the dark horse in the division. A lot of times, not the best athlete gets the opportunity to shine under the big lights or under the big stage, and I was very happy for Pantoja.”
