Earlier UFC Champion Expresses Readiness to Switch Weight Class to Battle Alexandre Pantoja
UFC flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja finds himself in a pickle.
He's managed to conquer most of the leading contenders in the flyweight division, clocking up numerous victories against many of them. His dominance in the 125-pound division leaves him with limited challenges on the UFC roster.
Things got so dire for Pantoja that he publicly challenged retired former flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, following his second-round submission win over Kai Asakura at UFC 310.
In his search for a fresh challenge, Pantoja might find his next opponent to be another former 125-pound titlist who moved up to the bantamweight division.
Deiveson Figueiredo has openly expressed his willingness to return to the flyweight division and take on Pantoja.
"I saw that he challenged Demetrious Johnson, and I've offered," Figueiredo told MMA Fighting. "Demetrious Johnson is retired and doesn't want to fight again. If he's looking for someone to fight, why didn't he mention my name?"
Figueiredo boasts an impressive 2-1 record at bantamweight, a stint as the flyweight champion, and a win over Pantoja in 2019.
"I beat him when I was at flyweight," Figueiredo continued. "If the UFC wants to have me face him, I'm ready to drop the weight for this fight."
Figueiredo seems unfazed by the prospect of making the necessary 125-pound weight cut.
"I went down from 163 pounds to fight at 125, and now I'm fighting at bantamweight and staying lighter, around 156," Figueiredo said. "I'd be around 150 for this fight so I could make weight easier."
Figueiredo's only blemish at flyweight was against Brandon Moreno. The 36-year-old started off his UFC career with four consecutive victories but lost a unanimous decision to Jussier Formiga in March 2019.
Following the defeat to Formiga, Figueiredo scored a victory over Pantoja and remained undefeated against other contenders apart from Moreno, whom he faced four times with a record of 1-2-1.
Their encounter happened five years ago, so the significance of that victory remains debatable. However, it's challenging to argue against Figueiredo being the toughest contender to face Pantoja for his championship.
Robert Whittaker Doubts Strickland-Du Plessis Rematch Outcome
UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker commended Sean Strickland's decision to wait for his title shot, but he doubts that Strickland will emerge victorious in his rematch against Dricus du Plessis.
"Yeah, uh, I'm surprised Sean literally just sat out," Whittaker said on his MMArcade Podcast. "Like, everyone was laughing at him when he said, "I'm gonna sit out until I get my title shot." Yeah, dude straight up got a title shot. Props for that. Like, you gotta give it to him. Guy, like, straight up stuck by what he said. Mmm. Um, in my opinion, I don't see the fight going any differently. Like, du Plessis’ such a dog in there. He's gonna come with the same aggressiveness and game plan. What could Sean do differently to change the outcome from last time? Okay, because if we look at it, it doesn't happen often, but the challenger beats the champion by decision."
Du Plessis and Strickland will square off again in the headlining event of UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia on February 8. Also on the card, UFC strawweight champion, Weili Zhang will defend her title against No. 1 contender, Tatiana Suarez.
- UFC news has emerged indicating that deiveson figueiredo is keen on challenging Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight title, following their previous encounter in 2019 where Figueiredo registered a victory.
- Despite demetrious johnson's retirement, there's a possibility that figueiredo might get a chance to face pantoja instead, given that Figueiredo has publicly expressed his willingness to return to the flyweight division.
- With Figueiredo boasting an impressive record against Pantoja, UFC fans are eagerly awaiting the potential matchup, which could potentially decide the future of the UFC's flyweight division.
