We caught up with UFC Flyweight World Champion and Stake Ambassador, Alexandre Pantoja as he sets to defend his belt at UFC 317.
Pantoja will headline the event, live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where he looks to defend his legacy as one of the best Flyweight fighters in history.
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My weight goes up and down very easily. When I start to lift, I go to about 150lbs, but my Strength and Conditioning Coach is very good, he knows what I need to do to get extra power. I feel really lean, no fat and super strong. Since I had my ACL, my recovery made me stronger. Now when I go to training, I am way stronger, and my training partners feel the difference. When people try to take me down now, I have the power to defend, and when you have power, you can save your gas tank.
How has your training been and what have you learned in this fight camp?
I was 17 when I had my first fight, so I’m close to having 20 years as a fighter, and I have learnt so much. I have trained in so many great places, with people like Henry Cejudo, and now I have the opportunity to train with, for me, the best - Marcos Da Matta. He is amazing, he is obsessed about what he does. You know the movie, Whiplash? I am the drummer. Da Matta is the conductor! He makes you better. He’s not going to say ‘good job’, he wants you to be the best, and at this level, everything is about connection.
How much confidence do you take into a fight, knowing that you’ve beaten the person before?
Of course, I could say to you, ‘this is a different fight’, but the one time we shared the Octagon, I won. Winning a fight comes down to who wants it more. But the one difference that Kai Kara-France has now, is that he is a Father. He has 2 kids. That’s the big difference between 2016 and now, and when you have family, you have something to fight for, it’s not just about yourself. That’s when you start to be humble, that’s how you become a better human.
For such a nice guy - you fight like such a savage. How young were you when you knew that you loved fighting and wanted to be a fighter?
I talked with my wife about this this morning! When I was 11 to 13, I was fighting every day in school. I would go to other schools to fight with the rich kids. People knew I was going to be a fighter, that’s something I have in my blood, and I think my life molded me. It gave me a purpose. I didn’t fight just to fight, I always fought for something. My life is like Slumdog Millionaire the movie, my life has given me a lot of answers to my questions, and my experiences have made me who I am.
You spoke really highly about Kai and his right hand. But while he will have faith in his right hand, you must have faith in your chin? You’ve proven that you have an unbelievable chin, do you almost feel like you can’t be KOd?
I don’t know if I feel happy about that because it means I’ve been hit a lot! It’s definitely something I have been working on, and in my last fight with Kai Asakura I think I showed that I have different ways to go to win the fight, and I don’t need to get hit. I think my chin made me do stupid things. When you put me in those situations, I would choose the punches that hit me. The one that knocks you out is the one you don’t see, but now I have the best coaches, the best gym, and I am improving.
How has American Top Team helped you?
If I wasn’t at ATT, I was never going to get this belt. I have been part of very good gyms before, but when I came to Florida, I felt that this is my place in the world. We have great gyms in Brazil and I am very glad for that, but what I found here is a safe zone to make myself a fighter. After I was here for 2 or 3 years, I realised that I could be Champion. When I came here, I was a fighter. Now, I am an athlete.
You’re ranked number 10 in the P4P rankings. Should you be higher up the rankings?
I’m not going to lie, I think the big measurement for this should be if you have the belt. If you have the belt, you get 50 points, one title defence and you get maybe 50 more. I don’t know how they judge the ranking, but at the end of the day, it should be about who is the best fighter in the world.
When I stopped and looked at the P4P, I fought everyone in my division, and I won every one. I’m not going to say anything bad about Jon Jones, but who did more in the last years? I think you can take Islam Makachev, but then after that, it is me. Everyone who understands the game defends me, and after my fight with Kai Kara-France, maybe the P4P will change.
We saw DJ underappreciated as a Champion during his time with the UFC. Do you think that flyweight fighters get the respect they warrant?
Things change a lot from the early UFC days, but flyweights are getting attention now. I had 2 headline PPV events last year and that is progress for us and good marketing.
I think the UFC needs to keep bringing young fighters from around the world to grow the division.
Do you see yourself going to bantamweight?
If it makes sense to the UFC, I think it’s going to happen. I would need to gain 10lbs of muscle, which takes time. For bigger guys, it’s easier to change weight classes, but I would need time.
If I had the chance to fight for the belt, or fight someone like O’Malley, I would do it.
O’Malley has stopped the weed, has more connection to his family, and maybe Merab made him humble, which is good for the world. O’Malley is super good, but Merab has something O’Malley never had. Merab had to fight to eat.
I am very proud to have given my kids a good life, but I say to them, that they never had to struggle like me, and that’s the same with Merab and O’Malley.
I would fight O’Malley for free.
You’ve been very active as a Champ. How long do you think UFC champions should have to defend their belt before being stripped of the title? There is controversy in the heavyweight division
I think maybe six months. Six months to have something scheduled. Let’s put 10 months from fight to fight, and why not?
Jon Jones is a very special fighter, everybody loves him, but what is happening now is sad. Maybe it’s time to say bye. Tom Aspinall deserves this fight, we deserve to see this fight. It’s not right that Aspinall is standing by. Nobody is going to judge Jon Jones, he doesn’t need to fight Aspinall, but if he doesn't want to fight and he wants to retire, then I think he has to say bye. I hope Aspinall is still training and in the gym and he doesn’t waste his time.
Jon is enjoying his life, and he deserves it.
