Matchmaker Monday: Alexandre Pantoja’s next opponent
Alexandre Pantoja dominated Kai Asakura at UFC 310. His win cemented him even further as a dominant force at 125. Going down as the second best ever at the time of this writing, it’s time to look forward to see what could be next for Pantoja.
The obvious choice: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France
This is the fight that should have been made from the jump instead of Kai Asakura. Kai Kara-France finished Steve Erceg in his previous fight. Erceg went life and death with Pantoja at UFC 301. It seemed that a rematch from The Ultimate Fighter was inevitable.
But Asakura was brought in on short notice. Now that he’s out of the way, the Brazilian can make a quick turnaround with the minimal amount of damage he’d received at UFC 310. Kara-France has been waiting for his shot at the title.
Lastly, Pantoja’s win over Kara-France wasn’t an officially sanctioned bout. It happened on TUF and is marked as an exhibition. Pantoja could very well look to add Kara-France to his list of great names he’s defeated.
Greener Pastures
Alexandre Pantoja is always looking for a new challenge at flyweight. Kai Asakura was just that. Continuing the trend of new challengers like the aforementioned Asakura and Steve Erceg, we could see Asu Almabayev take a shot at the king of 125 next.
Almabayev is ranked seventh at the time of these rankings but could drop when Asakura is finally added. Erceg was ranked tenth when the two fought. Almabayev may need another fight before moving to the title. Or if Pantoja wants to jump back into action again, just let him jump the line and give a different type of challenge.
Run it back again (x3)
Brandon Royval is the next option. Having beat Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira in his last two, Royval may have the best case to fight Pantoja outside of Kara-France. The only issue with Royval is that Alexandre Pantoja has beat him twice.
That said, Royval seemingly closed the gap in the most recent fight, taking Pantoja to a very fun and exciting decision. Royval may be the only option if Kara-France is out for some reason. Until then, the UFC may want to book some matchups to get new contenders in the top five. Tatsuro Taira, Tagir Ulanbekov, even the aforementioned Almabayev can all make a way to the top.
To be honest, Kai Kara-France is the best and clear option. Let’s see Pantoja invade Australia’s best flyweight.
