Alexandre Pantoja believes he’s climbing up the GOAT rankings.
On Saturday, Pantoja successfully defended his flyweight title, submitting Kai Asakura in the second round at UFC 310. The win was Pantoja’s third title defense, moving him to second on the UFC’s list behind all-time great Demetrious Johnson. And with multiple wins over the top contenders at flyweight, Pantoja now wants an opportunity to fight the man in front of him.
“Like a GOAT? That’s what I’m trying to do right now,” Pantoja said when asked about his winning streak at the UFC 310 post-fight press conference. “I feel I’m tight with more victories in that division. That’s why I talked about Demetrious Johnson. I’m sorry if I’m wrong to say about that. All my respect to him, but I did that. I cleaned the division. I’ve beat the No. 1, No. 2 multiple times. The UFC brings me another guy, another champion from all across the world, and I finished him. That’s the fight that makes sense for me.
“And flyweight is so different now. The time when Demetrious Johnson fought it’s not like that. My last four fights I fought with a Mexican, Australian, American, and Japanese. everything has changed. You have good fighters all across the world. Times right now, it’s so hard to keep this belt. ... Tough times right now. It’s not like before.”
“All respect to Demetrious Johnson. I respect him, I love him, because he opened all the doors for us. But that’s the fight I want.”
Unfortunately for Pantoja, his dream fight does not appear to be an option. Johnson has not competed for the UFC since he was traded to ONE Championship in 2018, and earlier this year, he retired from the sport. “Mighty Mouse” heard Pantoja’s callout but said he has no intention of ending his retirement.
Guys I got offered 2 million dollars to fight!! I turned it down I don’t care to fight anymore YouTube video dropping soon
— Demetrious Johnson (@MightyMouse) December 8, 2024
“Guys I got offered 2 million dollars to fight!! I turned it down I don’t care to fight anymore YouTube video dropping soon.”
So Pantoja may not get to chase Johnson down by fighting him, and Johnson’s record 11 title defenses makes it a tall task to challenge him that way, but “The Cannibal” isn’t entirely out of luck. His win over Asakura moved Pantoja into a tie with Johnson and Joseph Benavidez for most wins in divisional history, and with Johnson and former champion Deiveson Figueiredo for most finishes in UFC divisional history. And for Pantoja, adding his name to the record books like that has him moving up the flyweight all-time rankings.
“That’s a hard question because Demetrious Johnson has multiple defenses,” Pantoja said when asked to ranked flyweight GOATs. “Henry Cejudo, he’s an Olympic champ, flyweight champ, bantamweight champ, and then you have me. Then you have Figueiredo and then you have [Brandon] Moreno. I think that makes sense.”
