Alexandre
Pantoja may have closed out his rivalry with Brandon
Royval for good, but he claims there is no enmity there.
Pantoja (27-5) successfully defended his flyweight strap against
Royval (15-7) via unanimous decision in a lopsided grappling-heavy
affair at UFC 296 last weekend. This marked Pantoja’s second win
over Royval after a submission in 2021, from which “Raw Dawg”
bounced back with three consecutive wins to earn a shot at the
title.
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While Pantoja is happy to have defended his strap for the first
time, he feels for Royval as he understands the profundity of a
loss. In an appearance on “The MMA Hour,” Pantoja said:
“He’s a very nice kid. He worked so hard to [get] to that moment.
Maybe people think I’m [full of] s*** right now, but I’m very sad
for Royval. He worked so hard for that moment. I know it’s not just
about Royval, he has a lot of people on his side. I lost a couple
times and when I lose, my family loses with me, my kids lose with
me. It’s not just about one guy, it’s about all people together,
trying to get a dream. It’s really hard to do that with someone,
You break his heart, but that’s my sport. I love what I do. I love
to fight. If Royval watches this, I want to say thank you to
Royval. A lot of respect to him. He gave a wonderful fight and I
love that guy.
“Maybe people will think I’m talking bulls—, but that’s how I
feel,” he added. “It’s a very dangerous sport. He lost to me two
years ago, he worked so hard, three victories, he was so prepared
to fight with me again, but I have my history, I have my legacy to
create.”
For his next fight, Pantoja will most likely face the winner of the
upcoming clash between former champ Brandon
Moreno and Iraqi contender Amir Albazi
which goes down at UFC Mexico City on Feb. 24, though the winner of
January’s tilt between former
Rizin Fighting Federation champ Manel Kape
and Matheus
Nicolau may figure into the equation as well. While Pantoja is
open to a fourth clash against Moreno, the idea of a new opponent
also interests him. “The Cannibal” said:
“It’s going to be nice to see Albazi fight with someone like
Moreno. Everyone talks a lot about how good Moreno is right now,
and I want to see that. I want to see how good Moreno is now, and
if he wants, we can make the fourth fight with me. It’s going to be
awesome for me. And if Albazi wins, that’s great too. A different
opponent, somebody with a different game.”