Alexandre
Pantoja has newly-crowned flyweight champion Deiveson
Figueiredo directly in his crosshairs.
Shortly after the announcement that a light heavyweight title bout
between Glover
Teixeira and Jiri
Prochazka was set for UFC 274 — a card that is rumored to take
place in Rio de Janeiro — Pantoja proposed a rematch with
Figueiredo in their home country. Figueiredo defeated Brandon
Moreno via unanimous decision in their championship trilogy at
UFC 270 on Saturday night.
“I was supposed to fight Moreno at UFC 270, but due to a knee
problem I had to leave the card and give that opportunity to
Figueiredo bring the belt back to Brazil, so nothing would be more
fair than for him to make his first defense against myself in our
country and my city,” Pantoja told Sherdog.com. “I can guarantee
that in a rematch he will see a totally different Pantoja. In my
city, I don’t see Deiveson keeping that title.”
Pantoja initially faced Figueiredo at UFC 240, falling to his
fellow Brazilian via unanimous decision in July 2019. Now recovered
from knee surgery and back to training at American Top Team,
Pantoja admitted that a Moreno victory at UFC 270 would have been
better for him. Pantoja defeated Moreno by decision at UFC Fight
Night 129 in May 2018 and also submitted him in an exhibition bout
in the opening round of “The Ultimate Fighter 26.”
“The fight [between Moreno and Figueiredo] was really close, but I
also saw Figueiredo winning,” Pantoja said. “I’ve already
defeated Brandon twice, so that trilogy would be perfect to make
history.
“I´m aware that now it will depend on Askar
Askarov vs Kai Kara
France fight, since Askarov already defeated me and never
fought Deiveson, but I´m ready for anything the UFC decides. If
they want to have me fight for the belt against Deiveson, that.
would be amazing. If they want to make a trilogy with Moreno, that
would be great too. I´m available for whatever UFC decides.”