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UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja has considered moving up to bantamweight, but with Sean O’Malley no longer the champion, he wants to continue his reign at 125 pounds.
Pantoja (28-5 MMA, 12-3 UFC) and former bantamweight champion O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) recently discussed what happened during a training session. ‘training. Pantoja, who defended his flyweight title twice, began considering a move to the bantamweight division, but it turns out that was only to settle scores with O’Malley, who since lost his title to Merab Dvalishvili.
As it stands, Pantoja is no longer interested in moving up to 135 pounds.
“No, I’m the flyweight champion,” Pantoja told MMA Junkie when asked if a bantamweight move was still possible. “I want to stay here for a long time. I just thought about (a move) to fight with O’Malley because we have some history before, you know, he said something wrong. I want to prove that I I beat him in the gym, and I can beat him in a real fight.”
Pantoja is just days away from headlining UFC 310 on Dec. 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where he will host promotional newcomer and former Rizin champion Kai Asakura.
If he passes that test, Pantoja acknowledges there are some deserving contenders waiting for their title shot, including rematches against Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval. But first: he must make sure Asakura doesn’t end his championship reign.
“A few options, good options,” Pantoja said. “I’m just thinking about Kai Asakura, putting on a great show for everyone. That’s what I want. To give all my fans a great show on December 7th. It’s going to be awesome.”
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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC champion Alexandre Pantoja wanted to take Sean O’Malley to the next level, promises to rule flyweight ‘for a long time’
