Alexander Pantoja wants glory not only for himself, but for the entire flyweight division.
The 125-pound champion defended the title for the fourth consecutive time at UFC 317 on Saturday, winning a dominant submission victory over Kai Kara-France. Pantoja’s legendary toughness and elite grappling were fully on display as he walked the best shots of the Challenger to impose his will in the fight. Kara-France survived until round three when Pantoja was trapped in a naked chalk after the end of the battle.
Heading on Saturday, Pantoja was tied with bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili, third in the MMA pound-pound rankings. Now he believes there is only one name worthy of it above him.
“If I’m not number two, that doesn’t make sense,” Pantoja said at a postwar press conference at UFC 317. “I’m right behind the Islamic Makhachev. It’s meaningless. Five battles over the title. Eight wins in this streak. Second submission, four title defense, numbers don’t lie.
“We’re trying to understand the rankings of pounds for pounds. I think it’s more of a victory. I think it’s probably a victory against the ranked guys. Maybe I don’t know, I think I’ll need to defeat Jack Della Madalena to put Jack Della Madalena before you. Have a very good fight with Kai Kara-France.
One fight before Pantoja ran through Kara France, with top flyweight contenders Joshua Van and Brandon Roybal threw three rounds. Ultimately, Van won the unanimous decision, but both men won a bonus money fight for the night to wear what could be the most exciting match of 2025.
Pantoja believes the 125 pound division has become more exciting than ever, regardless of what armchair experts have to say about it.
“I think we’re slowly changing (the flyweight division perception),” Pantoja said. “That kind of battle, Joshua Van and Loibal. My battle with Kai Kara France. A battle like (Brandon) Moreno and (Amir) Albazi. We’re watching 2024 last year.
“On YouTube and Instagram, people see people say bad things about my department. There’s no need to say anything about dislikes. Hardcore fans say, ‘Hey, shut your mouth, casual.’ People are realizing how good this sector is now. I think we can change that.
Pantoja has now won eight straight games, and his UFC runs include victory over Kara-France, Royval, Moreno, Alex Perez, Manel Kape and many other top contenders. He doesn’t respect demetrious Johnson, widely considered the greatest flyweight of all time, but Pantoja feels there is more depth and diversity in the division than ever before.
“Joshua Van is very good, who can you say is different?” Pantoja said. “He defeated Loibal. I think Roibal made some mistakes with him and tried to hurry up the fight too much and didn’t try to get him to work on it too much. And I said I wanted to fight with him. He really wanted to retire. He said he was retired.
“I respect everyone who opens the door for us, but especially in my department, you have the whole world in the same department. Top 10, you have guys from all over the world.