Alexandre Pantoja explains why Joshua Van will be his toughest challenge following UFC 317 masterclass

Alexandre Pantoja believes Joshua Van will prove to be his greatest adversary.

Pantoja has looked dominant as the 125-pound champion. After defeating Brandon Moreno to capture the gold, Pantoja has successfully thwarted the challenges of Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura, and most recently Kai Kara-France. Pantoja submitted Kara-France in the third round to retain his 125-pound gold.

After the fight, the flyweight champion had a staredown with Van, who defeated Royval in a “Fight of the Year” contender.

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Pantoja Expects Toughest Fight From Van

During the UFC 317 post-fight press conference, Alexandre Pantoja reacted to Joshua Van emerging as his next title challenger. The 125-pound ruler thinks he’s in for his toughest task to date (via MMAJunkie).

“When I was 23, I was working in the restaurant, cleaning dishes,” Pantoja said. “Look at that. The guy is 23 and going to fight for the belt, for the world championship. I think this guy is going to be my toughest challenger. He’s young. He’s hungry and he doesn’t make wars like I did in the past. I did my 35th professional fight tonight. That’s a lot of wars I passed through with a lot of very good fighters. The UFC gives me this new guy. I think everybody wants to see the new. No more rematches for me. I want to fight with that guy, too. I want that challenge to fight with the new blood, with a new kid.”

Van’s showing against Brandon Royval earned him “Fight of the Night” honors and a shot at the UFC Flyweight Championship. “The Fearless” is riding a five-fight winning streak. He will serve as a fresh matchup for Pantoja if the UFC does indeed make the bout official once both men are fully rested.