The ordering process for
Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-views has changed:
UFC
236 is only available on ESPN+ in the U.S.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s flyweight division has never
been so competitive with guys like
Alexandre
Pantoja rising up the ladder. Currently ranked No. 5, he is set
to face a gritty veteran in
Wilson Reis,
who sits just above him in the rankings. Here are some numbers that
may just shape their upcoming encounter at UFC 236 this
Saturday.
Octagon experience
Reis has been with the UFC since 2013, conquering the more
experienced
Ivan
Menjivar on his promotional debut. He would win 6 of his next
11 fights, facing the division’s finest along the way. These
include
Scott
Jorgensen,
Jussier da
Silva,
John Moraga,
and former and current champions
Demetrious
Johnson and
Henry
Cejudo, respectively. While Pantoja is no rookie, he only
entered the promotion in 2017 but has stayed active, with a record
of 4-1.
Common opponents:
Versus Dustin
Ortiz
In his match with Ortiz, Reis proved he was a force at 125,
grinding out a decision over the
Roufusport product. He scored a total of nine takedowns and was
in an aggressive hunt for a submission at one point. In the end,
Reis earned the nods of all three judges at 30-27. Pantoja, on the
other hand, wasn’t successful against Ortiz. He started out
promisingly and almost finished his opponent with a choke but
failed to sustain the momentum. “The Cannibal” lost to the tune of
28-29 across the board.
Versus Ulka Sasaki
Reis displayed masterful grappling to beat Sasaki over three
rounds. He did have a rough start though, as the Japanese fighter’s
straight punches were comfortably landing. But when Reis found his
grappling rhythm, there was no turning back. Sasaki, who taunted
Reis at one point, had no answer for his six takedowns. Pantoja
also showcased his slick ground game and was so good that Sasaki
didn’t see rounds two and three. The end came at 2:18 of round one
after Pantoja sunk in a tight rear-naked choke that forced his
opponent to tap.
Wins by submission
Both Reis and Pantoja are dangerous when the fight goes to the
ground. Reis prides of 10 stoppages by submission in 23 victories
while Pantoja has 8 in 20 wins. Reis, who is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu
black belt, tapped
Diego
Jimenez,
Zach
Makovsky,
Justin
Robbins,
Shad
Lierley,
Zac George,
Bruno
Menezes,
Billy
Vaughan,
Owen Roddy,
Scott
Jorgensen and
Hector
Sandoval. Pantoja’s victims are Antonio Carlos,
Bruno
Azevedo,
Rodrigo
Favacho dos Santos,
Daniel
Araujo,
Matt
Manzanares,
Damacio
Page,
Neil Seery
and Sasaki.
Wins by knockout
Between the two, Pantoja is the more well-rounded fighter as he
presents a good balance of wins by submission and knockout. He
currently owns six victories by KO or TKO over Peterson Malfort,
Gabriel
Wolff,
Bruno
Moreno,
Magno Alves,
Samuel de
Souza and
Sandro
Gemaque de Souza. And while Reis has seen an improvement in his
standup, he has yet to stop an opponent due to strikes.
Related Articles