UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja had to win multiple personal battles before his win at UFC 317.
Alexandre Pantoja made it look easy against Kai Kara-France on Saturday at UFC 317. But while his performance inside the Octagon was one of his most dominant, the leadup to the fight was disastrous for the UFC flyweight titleholder.
Pantoja choked out Kara-France with a rear-naked choke submission in Round 3 of their UFC 317 co-main event matchup. It was largely one-way traffic for Pantoja, who stifled Kara-France’s advances on the feet while dominating him on the ground.
Pantoja has quickly become one of the UFC’s biggest stars as he continues to rise up the all-time flyweight rankings. After defeating Kara-France, and facing off with his likely next opponent, Pantoja opened up about what he went through during his UFC 317 camp at American Top Team-Florida.
Alexandre Pantoja had to overcome several health hurdles ahead of UFC 317
In a recent episode of the UFC’s About Last Fight podcast, Pantoja explained what went wrong just weeks before his UFC 317 performance.
“A lot of things happened in the last few weeks of training. I got Staph, and I think everybody realizes how that infection can kill your body inside. The problem that Ben Askren has,” Pantoja said.
“Tried using antibiotics three weeks before the fight, and because I used them, I got fluid in my chest and the lungs. And that’s so crazy, and I just want to enjoy the moment and thank my wife,” Pantoja continued. “Because sometimes when I was home, I hated everything, and my wife told me ‘You’re not happy with everything you have? Because you go to the gym? You have everything you’ve wished for’. And that’s changed everything…
“I put my mind the right way, and I started to feel happier. Doesn’t matter if I have a problem…it’s a huge lesson that God gave me. Because I’m a champion, things are easier right now. My weight went up and down (in camp) and I realized I needed to have a warrior mentality to get through everything.”
Despite Pantoja’s medical issues, he successfully made championship weight on Friday before running through Kara-France on Saturday. Luckily, Pantoja’s Staph infection didn’t develop into something more severe, as MMA legend Ben Askren is undergoing right now.
Now that UFC 317 is in the rear-view mirror, Pantoja will turn his attention towards one of the flyweight division’s brightest young stars.
Alexandre Pantoja set to clash with UFC 317 standout for next flyweight title defense
Just minutes before Pantoja and Kara-France walked out to the Octagon, UFC flyweight contender Joshua Van defeated former title challenger Brandon Royval by unanimous decision in an instant classic brawl. Van earned his second win in weeks, after defeating Bruno Silva by knockout at UFC 316 earlier this month.
Pantoja and Van faced off in the cage just minutes after Pantoja defeated Kara-France at UFC 317. The matchup is the likely next flyweight title fight, as UFC CEO Dana White affirmed during the UFC 317 pre-fight press conference.
The UFC flyweight division continues to skyrocket in prestige, and Pantoja and Van will look to continue its momentum later this year.