"Gonna take his belt in his hometown" - Flyweight challenger calls out Alexandre Pantoja for title clash at UFC 301 in Brazil
Alexandre Pantoja might have to gear up to fight at UFC 301. Being the undisputed flyweight king, Pantoja has a mark on his back, and every top contender seems to be eyeing for a crack at his title.
At UFC 296, Pantoja successfully defended his title against Brandon Royval in a closely contested rematch. The fight was very different from their first meeting when the Brazilian handily defeated Royval via second-round submission.
Intent on getting another shot at the title, ‘Raw Dawg’ defeated former champion Brandon Moreno at last weekend’s UFC Mexico event. Moreno’s original opponent, Amir Albazi, was forced to pull out due to an injury. Like Pantoja, ‘The Assassin Baby’ defeated Royval in their first meeting with relative ease.
Royval was a significant underdog heading into the fight but outpointed the former champion with higher output en route to a split-decision win. The Colorado native is intent on getting a trilogy fight with Pantoja, calling him out for a UFC 301 clash for the title. He said at the UFC Mexico post-fight press conference:
“I’m going to take his [Alexandre Pantoja’s] belt in his hometown Rio De Janeiro. We’ll keep spoiling parties. After I win the belt, I will defend my belt in Denver, Colorado.”
Catch Royval’s comments below (1:00:27):
A wild fan theory and Alex Pereira’s bold plan for UFC 301 grab headlines
The UFC 301 pay-per-view event will take place on May 4, 2024, at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. It will be the UFC’s visit to the city since the UFC 283 event that took place in January 2023.
So far, the event does not have noteworthy high-profile matchups or title fights. However, a few theories floating around the event grabbed fans’ attention.
UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira will attempt the first defense of his title against former title-holder Jamahal Hill at the milestone UFC 300 event on April 12, 2024. He recently shared a bold plan to make a quick turnaround and go for the second title defense at UFC 301 if he defeats Hill.
Rizin president Nobuyuki Sakakibara recently met UFC CEO Dana White at the UFC headquarters. Fans suspect that the duo might be working on a potential crossover matchup between UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja and Rizin flyweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi.
The fight may not materialize as the UFC has been reluctant to participate in cross-promotional MMA fights. However, if the promotion decides to test the waters with Pantoja vs. Horiguchi, Brandon Royval might have to wait for a while to get the second title shot.