Las Vegas, NV — Brazil’s Alexandre Pantoja faces Brandon Moreno for the third time at UFC 290 this weekend — this time out with gold on the line.
He’s beat the current UFC flyweight champion twice before. That’s not why Pantoja (25-5) believes he deserves the latest flyweight title shot, however.
“I deserve it not just because I beat the champion twice, but I deserve it because I come from three [wins] in a row, two Performance of the Nights with two top five opponents, and I think this is one of the best flyweight title matches,” Pantoja told media outlets including Cageside Press on Wednesday, speaking at the UFC 290 media day in Las Vegas. “Because he comes with a beautiful victory over Kai Kara-France and Deiveson Figueiredo. This fight’s going to be very exciting for fans and everybody, and I’m excited to start to fight. I’m excited for July 8, the octagon closes, and let’s go.”
In Moreno, who claimed undisputed gold earlier this year, Pantoja gets an opponent he respects. He also sees the fight as “very special” after the pair both appeared on The Ultimate Fighter 24.
Pantoja trained with some big names ahead of UFC 290 in preparation for his third fight with Moreno, including ONE Championship standout Adriano Moraes, saying he only lost about two rounds out of fifty during training camp. “I have some special names. Kyoji Horiguchi, I learned a lot with this Japanese samurai. He’s given me some good mentality. I worked a lot with [UFC vet] Jussier Formiga, he’s one of my good partners too.”
Horiguchi is a former UFC flyweight contender and ex-RIZIN and Bellator MMA bantamweight champ. Recently returning to 125lbs, the Japanese star is considered by many the best fighter in the weight class outside the UFC.
Beyond those training partners, Pantoja has prepared for a different sort of Moreno mentally. While the two prior losses to Pantoja might weigh on Moremo, Pantoja expects that to have a positive effect on the champ.
“Of course, but I think for good points. I’m talking about, his mindset is very different now. I think he’s changed his mindset. He’s going to use that in the fight, he doesn’t want to lose again,” noted Pantoja, who has prepared for just that. “He doesn’t want to lose more to me. But I’m here, I’m a better fighter than when I fought him in 2018. I think that’s a good thing, to make this fight more aggressive, more interesting for the fans.”
Watch the full UFC 290 media day appearance by Alexandre Pantoja above.
