The UFC’s 125lbs division has always found itself in a precarious position. No matter, if it was led by one of the GOAT contenders in the form of Demetrious Johnson, the lightest men’s weight class, has suffered from a lack of fan interest and financial duds. Remember when ‘Mighty Mouse’ had to grapple his way with Dana White to earn the right for PPV points? A right granted to every other division champ! Moreover, Johnson was ultimately traded to ONE FC in exchange for Ben Askren back in 2018. And it seems things haven’t really changed must in 2025 as well! Apart from an exciting phase of Brandon Moreno’s quadrilogy against Deiveson Figueiredo, the division still suffers from the same issue. The leader in this case happens to be the current champ, Alexandre Pantoja
While we have already discussed the woes of the 125lbs division, seeing a historically great champ like ‘The Cannibal’ not getting his due does hurt. After all, the Brazilian is everything that you look for in a fighter. A warrior in the truest sense, ‘The Cannibal’ has remarkable endurance and can take punishment like no one else. Not to mention Pantoja’s fairytale story of going from an Uber Eats driver to UFC champ is awe-inspiring.
There were rumors that the Brazilian was booked to face Kai Kara-France at UFC 314 on April 12. However, the Brazilian rejected this claim in February. But in a recent revelation to AG Fight and shared by Home of Fight, the flyweight champion revealed that he was indeed scheduled to fight on the Miami card. And despite being in camp for the fight, he was abruptly removed from the card and the fight rescheduled. To when? Well, the UFC hasn’t made an official announcement. But Pantoja has hinted it might be on the UFC’s annual marquee International Fight Week card.
“I was supposed to fight in Miami in April, but they took me off the card. They preferred to move me more towards the middle of the year… I believe I’ll be fighting by the end of June [during International Fight Week]. That’s what we’re aiming for,” Pantoja said recently.
Apart from this, Pantoja also talked to Sherdog a week back and shed light on this matter. “I was already in camp when they removed me from the card. I hope to fight in June or July,” Pantoja said. “Now I’m waiting for the title fights to be decided at UFC 316 and 317. At first, I thought that my next opponent would be Kai Kara-France, but after [Brandon] Moreno and [Manel] Kape’s victories, I don’t know who the UFC will choose. Regardless of who it is, I’ll be in Florida on Sunday to start my camp,” concluded Pantoja.
Dana White and Co., of course, puts on the International Fight Week every year in late June capped off by a big UFC card. This would be UFC 317 this year. So if the Brazilian champ does indeed get his wish, he will either be on the main (or more likely) the co-main event for the June 28 card.
But who would be his opponent? Will he still face Kai Kara France on the International Fight Week card? Well, some interesting recent developments in the MMA world indicate that might not be the case.
Will Alexandre Pantoja fight his teammate and dear friend next?
The UFC’s flyweight division has been revolving around the same few names since Henry Cejudo‘s reign as champ ended in 2020. Two guys in the form of Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno exchanged the title among them for three years, until Pantoja started his ongoing reign in 2023. However, the UFC seems determined to inject some fresh blood into the division to shore up the excitement for the most overlooked division in the promotion.
Last year, the UFC put former RIZIN champ Kai Asakura in a title fight against Pantoja on the Japanese fighter’s debut at UFC 310. And this year, it seems the UFC may be looking to import another Japanese flyweight star to fight for the title at UFC 317. ‘The Cannibal’s American Top Team teammate Kyoji Horiguchi.
The 34-year-old signed with the UFC this March after vacating his RIZIN flyweight title. Horiguchi used to fight in the UFC between 2013 and 2016. His only promotional loss came at the hands of Demetrious Johnson back in 2015. But will this be another Aljamain Sterling-Merab Dvalishvili situation, where the two guys refuse to fight each other because they are teammates? Well, no. While we do not know what Horiguchi thinks, at least Pantoja is on board.
“We have 100 fighters [at ATT]… But Kyoji Horiguchi helped me get this belt. If I don’t have Kyoji Horiguchi, I don’t know if I have the opportunity to fight for the belt… And it’s gonna be a pleasure if I fight with him for the belt,” Pantoja told ‘MMA Fighting’.
Of course, we will have to wait until an official announcement from the UFC to find out who ‘The Cannibal’ will fight next, but Horiguchi is the favorite candidate at the moment. What do you think about Alexandre Pantoja wanting to fight on the UFC 317 International Fight Week card?
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