Flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja traveled to Mexico to watch the main event of UFC Fight Night 237 last Saturday certain of two things.
First, the winner of the evening’s headliner would determine his opponent for UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro on May 4 and second, he would receive a hostile reception from fans in Mexico City. As it turned out, Pantoja was in for a surprise.
“I thought I was going to be offended by the Mexicans, and it was exactly the opposite,” he said. “They welcomed me very affectionately and even shouted ‘Hey hermano, Pantoja is Mexicano.’”
The result of the UFC Mexico main event may have altered the promotion’s plans, as Brandon Royval took a split decision over Brandon Moreno in a somewhat surprising result.
“I think the whole stage was set for Moreno to win and come to Rio,” Pantoja said. “The fight was very even and the fact that he beat Moreno months after I won five rounds against him [Royval] shows the level I'm at. If the UFC did not do any promotion after the fight, it made it clear that they should not be interested in doing this match again at UFC 301.”
Royval later revealed on Instagram that he likely tore the MCL in his knee. For his part, Pantoja said he’d be willing to accept any UFC decision in order to remain on the UFC 301 card.
“Royval tore his ligament, Manel Kape didn't make weight to fight Nicolau, Albazi had surgery,” Pantoja said. “In fact, my category is one of the most competitive. If you pick the [No. 20] flyweight, he has every chance of giving me a tough fight. It all depends on [matchup].”
Pantoja then used an analogy from the first film in the Rocky series, when Apollo Creed agrees to face the newcomer, Rocky Balboa.
“And I'm willing to prove myself against whoever the UFC chooses,” he said. “I have no problem with being Apollo Creed, giving the opportunity to newcomers to fight for the belt. “If the UFC wants to bring in champions from Shooto, LFA or even have a confrontation with [Muhammad] Mokaev, if he beats Perez impressively on Saturday, I'll be ready. The most important thing for me would be to be able to defend this title in my city, Rio de Janeiro.”
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