Newly crowned UFC Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja reveals he was driving for Uber Eats two fight’s ago

UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja has only become a full-time fighter again recently.

‘The Cannibal’ made his return to the cage at UFC 290 on Saturday night against Brandon Moreno. While many likely didn’t know, the contest was actually a trilogy bout. In prior outings in 2016 and 2018, Alexandre Pantoja claimed victories over ‘The Assassin Baby’.

At UFC 290, the flyweight trilogy fight was one for the ages. However, at the conclusion of 25 minutes, it was Alexandre Pantoja who got the nod by split decision. It was an emotional moment for the Brazilian, who gave a passionate post-fight speech dedicated to his mother and family. However, the newly crowned champion also has to be happy that he’ll never work another job again.

On The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Alexandre Pantoja revealed that he was doing Uber Eats as a part-time fighter as recently as August 2021. It was only after a submission win over Brandon Royval that he was able to quit thanks to a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus stemming from the win. Due to the pandemic, and a need to get his family to the U.S., he had to pick up another job.

RELATED: DANA WHITE REACTS TO ALEXANDRE PANTOJA DEFEATING BRANDON MORENO FOR THE FLYWEIGHT TITLE AT UFC 290: “IT WAS SO GOOD AND SO CLOSE”

(via Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

“Yeah, in the pandemic after my fight with Manel [Kape] I gave some money to my family back in Brazil,” Alexandre Pantoja stated on The MMA Hour. “They need to be taken of more, than in the U.S., and I comeback to the U.S. again alone. It was eight months without my family, and that’s very hard for me.”

He continued, “… I won the fight with Manel, and went and put all the money on a down payment for a house. To bring my family back, I was short money. My wife started to clean houses, and I started to drive Uber. I would do this again if I needed [to], because it’s not just about myself. This is about my family, my kids.”

What do you make of this news? Were you shocked by Alexandre Pantoja’s win on Saturday?