Alexandre Pantoja shuts down bantamweight move ahead of UFC 310 title defense against Kai Asakura
Alexandre Pantoja isn’t thinking about a move to the bantamweight division at the moment.
Pantoja is the reigning UFC flyweight titleholder, but he had teased dabbling into the 135-pound division for a showdown with Sean O’Malley. At the time, O’Malley held the bantamweight championship.
Now that the “Suga” is without gold, Pantoja remains focused on flyweight.
Alexandre Pantoja Dismisses Bantamweight Move
MMAJunkie.com got a chance to speak with Alexandre Pantoja ahead of his UFC 310 title defense against Kai Asakura. During the interview, Pantoja let it be known that a bantamweight move isn’t on his mind.
“No, I’m the flyweight champion,” Pantoja told MMA Junkie when asked if a bantamweight move was still possible. “I want to stay here for a long time. I just thought about (a move) to fight with O’Malley because we have some history before, you know, he talked something bad. I want to prove I beat him in the gym, and I can beat him in a real fight.”
The Brazilian champion is clearly focused on the task at hand. His title fight against Asakura will headline the UFC’s year-end pay-per-view on December 7th. The challenger will be making his UFC debut, and Pantoja is looking to show he’s simply on another level.
Pantoja admitted that there are a lot of enticing options on the table if he’s successful at UFC 310. Rematches with Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval are certainly an option, but Pantoja tells MMAJunkie that he’s solely focused on Asakura.
“A couple of options, good options,” Pantoja said. “I just think about Kai Asakura, make a great show for everyone. That’s what I want. Give to all my fans a great show Dec. 7. It’s going to be great.”
Stick with BJPenn.com for live coverage of UFC 310 this coming Saturday.
