UFC flyweight champion Alexandre
Pantoja is feeling a little underappreciated.
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The Brazilian currently checks in at No. 10 in the UFC.com
pound-for-pound poll, which he feels is far too low given his
accomplishments at 125 pounds. “The Cannibal” is currently in the
midst of a seven-bout UFC winning streak that includes four
victories in flyweight championship bouts.
Pantoja, who is No. 4 in
Sherdog’s current pound-for-pound standings, proposes a point
system — with a heavy emphasis on performance in title bouts — to
determine these rankings.
“I’m not going to lie, I think the big measurement for this should
be if you have the belt,” Pantoja recently told Stake. “If you have the belt, you get 50
points; one title defense 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 pound-for-pound, 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 [few] 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 [pound-for-pound] will change.”
Pantoja will defend the flyweight crown against Kara-France in the
UFC
317 co-main event on June 28 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las
Vegas. He defeated Kara-France via decision in a quarterfinal bout
on “The Ultimate Fighter 24,” but that was a two-round exhibition.
Pantoja is expecting a much different type of opponent than the one
he faced some nine years ago.
“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,” Pantoja said. “But the one difference
that Kai
Kara-France has now, is that he is a father. He has two kids.
That’s the big difference between 2016 and now. I say that because
when you have family, you have something to fight for — it’s not
just about yourself. That’s how you start to be humble. That’s how
you become a better human.”
While the UFC once considered doing away with the flyweight
division entirely, today it’s arguably one of the strongest weight
classes in the promotion. Perhaps no one is more aware of the
division’s growth than the man who sits at the top.
“Things change a lot from the early UFC days, but flyweights are
getting attention now,” Pantoja said. “I had to headline
pay-per-view 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.”