Alexandre Pantoja reveals potential next opponent should he win at UFC 317

Alexandre Pantoja is committed to staying at flyweight.

Pantoja is looking to defend his flyweight title for the fourth time. He’s set to take on Kai Kara-France in the co-main event of UFC 317. Given that Pantoja has already beaten a lot of the contenders, who he fights next is a big question.

Yet, Alexandre Pantoja has his eyes set on Joshua Van as a potential next opponent, as he’s facing Brandon Royval at UFC 317 in a potential No. 1 contender fight.

” I want to fight the best in the world. If I have an opportunity to fight with Merab, of course I would accept, but that’s not something I really look for,” Pantoja said at UFC 317 media day. “I have my division. I’m super excited for that division. There are a couple of new names coming. Joshua Van is a nice surprise for everybody. He fights so good. He make a very good fight against Bruno, and maybe he’s the next challenger for me.”

Van is currently 14-2 as a pro and is 7-1 in the UFC. If he beats Royval at UFC 317, there is a good chance that the 23-year-old will get the next title shot against Pantoja, should he defeat Kara-France in the co-main event.

Alexandre Pantoja is happy with the state of the flyweight division

Although many fans want Pantoja to move up in weight to fight for the bantamweight title, he doesn’t have much interest.

Instead, Pantoja wants to keep defending his belt and prove he’s one of the best ever. He also believes the flyweight division is getting exciting and has plenty of fights for him.

“I’m super excited with (flyweight),” Pantoja said. “People say, ‘Hey, you need to move on to bantamweight.’ No way, man. We have so many entertaining fights here. Joshua Van, I say the guy, he grabbed the golden ticket like the Willy Wonka Factory. He has the ticket, man. That’s super crazy. If he passes Royval, he’s the next on the line. Of course, you have Kyogi, Manel Kape is there.

“I feel bad for Manel Kape. Every time he’s close to the belt, something happens. I know he’s a very good fighter, and he has a lot of skills, I hope to fight him in the future,” Pantoja added. “I want to fight against the best guys in the world. That’s what I like. That’s it. Flyweight. I think last year, 2024, was the best year for flyweight. People are staring to appreciate much more that division. Now you can say 10, 15 names from the flyweight division, and I’m the champion of that.”

Alexandre Pantoja enters UFC 317 riding a seven-fight winning streak.