Alexandre
Pantoja will be an interested observer when Askar
Askarov and Kai Kara
France square off at UFC on ESPN 33 this Saturday.
After back-to-back wins against Manel Kape
and Brandon
Royval, Pantoja was supposed to face Brandon
Moreno for the flyweight title at UFC 270, but a knee injury
knocked him out of the bout and Deiveson
Figueiredo got the opportunity instead.
“I had defeated Moreno twice and since he was the champion, the
trilogy made sense, but unfortunately I had to withdraw from the
fight to have knee surgery,” Pantoja told Sherdog.com. “Deiveson
got the belt back in another close fight. There are a lot of
possibilities on the table, but personally I believe UFC is going
to make the fourth fight between Moreno and Deiveson. I just hope
this one gets a clear winner, so the division can go on.”
Askarov, along with Figueiredo, is one of only two mean to beat
Pantoja in his last eight fights. Pantoja believes that if Askarov
wins on Saturday, it will solidify his status as a future title
challenger down the road.
“Since I already defeated Kara France, and Askarov has never faced
the champion, I believe he might be next in the line if he beats
Kara France Saturday. But if Kara France wins, I think I have a
great chance to be the next challenger.
“Everything will depend on the timing, (especially) if the UFC
confirms Moreno-Figueiredo 4.”
In the meantime, Pantoja revealed that the promotion offered him a
fight against another ranked flyweight in Alex Perez in
June. Much depends on how his knee responds in training.
“I´m finishing my six months of knee physiotherapy next week. I´m
still starting to return to normal training routine,” he said. “The
ideal return date for me would be between July and August, that’s
why I didn’t answer the UFC yet.
“The UFC is the best organization in the world and flyweight is one
of the most competitive divisions. Being at the top of the
rankings, there is no way to fight without being in your best
condition,” Pantoja continued. “I would love to face Perez or the
winner of Kara France and Askarov to decide the next No. 1
contender, but I want to do that in my best condition. I don’t want
to rush my recovery and get hurt again. I´ll return when I’m
100%.”
With experience facing both Askarov and Kara France in UFC
competition, Pantoja has unique insight into their matchup at UFC
on ESPN 33.
“They have totally different styles,” Pantoja said. “Kara France
has evolved a lot since we fought back in 2016. He showed how tough
our division is by knocking out a former champion like Cody
Garbrandt. Unlike Kara France, Askarov has such a boring style.
He tries to hold you all the time. The other day I was watching my
fight with him again and it was really disgusting. UFC should
change the rules somehow to limit the tactics of guys like Askarov
that just hold fights and win via boring decisions. Unfortunately,
I believe Kara France will also have problems dealing with that
style and Askarov will win via decision.
“But if I were Dana White I would certainly cheer for Kara France.
It would be better for the sport and also for the company. To have
Kara France challenging Figueiredo or Moreno for the belt in
Australia would certainly be a great opportunity for the UFC.”