Alexandre Pantoja Believes He Deserves Higher Pound-for-Pound Ranking

UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja is feeling a little underappreciated.

The Brazilian currently checks in at No. 10 in the UFC.com pound-for-pound poll, which he feels is far too low given his accomplishments at 125 pounds. “The Cannibal” is currently in the midst of a seven-bout UFC winning streak that includes four victories in flyweight championship bouts.

Pantoja, who is No. 4 in Sherdog's current pound-for-pound standings, proposes a point system — with a heavy emphasis on performance in title bouts — to determine these rankings.

“I’m not going to lie, I think the big measurement for this should be if you have the belt,” Pantoja recently told Stake. “If you have the belt, you get 50 points; one title defense and you get maybe 50 more. I don’t know how they judge the ranking, but at the end of the day, it should be about who is the best fighter in the world.

“When I stopped and looked at the pound-for-pound, I fought everyone in my division, and I won every one. I’m not going to say anything bad about Jon Jones, but who did more in the last [few] years? I think you can take Islam Makachev, but then after that, it is me. Everyone who understands the game defends me, and after my fight with Kai Kara-France, maybe the [pound-for-pound] will change.”

Pantoja will defend the flyweight crown against Kara-France in the UFC 317 co-main event on June 28 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He defeated Kara-France via decision in a quarterfinal bout on “The Ultimate Fighter 24,” but that was a two-round exhibition. Pantoja is expecting a much different type of opponent than the one he faced some nine years ago.

“Of course, I could say to you, ‘This is a different fight’, but the one time we shared the Octagon, I won. Winning a fight comes down to who wants it more,” Pantoja said. “But the one difference that Kai Kara-France has now, is that he is a father. He has two kids. That’s the big difference between 2016 and now. I say that because when you have family, you have something to fight for — it’s not just about yourself. That’s how you start to be humble. That’s how you become a better human.”

While the UFC once considered doing away with the flyweight division entirely, today it’s arguably one of the strongest weight classes in the promotion. Perhaps no one is more aware of the division’s growth than the man who sits at the top.

“Things change a lot from the early UFC days, but flyweights are getting attention now,” Pantoja said. “I had to headline pay-per-view events last year, and that is progress for us and good marketing. I think the UFC needs to keep bringing young fighters from around the world to grow the division.”