Alexandre Pantoja enters UFC 296 with the backing of arguably the greatest fighter to compete in his weight class.
Demetrious Johnson, the first and most dominant flyweight champion in UFC history, is fully confident Pantoja (26-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) is going to get the job done this Saturday. Pantoja defends his title for the very first time against Brandon Royval in the co-main event of UFC 296, which goes down at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
For Johnson, this is a moment he saw coming years before Pantoja became UFC flyweight champion.
“I’ve always said Pantoja is a dark horse of the flyweight division,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel. “Even when he did ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ when it was all the flyweights around the world, all the champions, I had him as one of the best fighters in that tournament, but sometimes the path to victory is longer or harder for other gentlemen.
“But now, Pantoja is the flyweight champion. He beat Brandon Moreno in the last fight. Alex Pantoja is legit. He’s got hands. He’s got a hard chin and his biggest strength in my opinion is his grappling, which is his ace in the hole.
“Brandon has had his ups and downs. He broke his arm in one of his fights. He’s been in some wars, but he’s also got a slick submission game. The biggest thing I like about this fight is Alex Pantoja being able to shine. He hasn’t had the opportunity to shine. He’s been a dark horse. A lot of people don’t really know about him, but I’ve always had my eye on him.”
Johnson was champion of the UFC’s flyweight division when Pantoja entered the promotion in 2017. The two fought under the same banner for a little over a year before Johnson moved on to ONE Championship.
“Mighty Mouse” respects Royval (15-6 MMA, 5-2 UFC), but he’s confident Pantoja will get his hand raised on Saturday. He’s been watching him work for quite some time.
“I have Alex Pantoja winning this fight,” Johnson said. “I think he has an amazing team behind him. The man has been battle tested. I think it’s time for his star to shine. This man has been through the ringer, he’s one of the best flyweights on this planet. He’s got an amazing training partner in Adriano Moraes, one of my former opponents.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
