Alexandre Pantoja: record, style and what is next

Image: Sexto Round, CC BY 3.0 (still from a YouTube interview, via Wikimedia Commons)

Alexandre Pantoja is a Brazilian flyweight nicknamed "The Cannibal", and he owns the UFC flyweight records for most wins, most finishes and most submissions. As of 30 September 2026 his record is 30-7, and the UFC rankings list him as the number one contender at 125lb and number 14 in the men's pound-for-pound list. His UFC athlete page shows no fight booked.

He was born in Rio de Janeiro on 16 April 1990, so he is 36. According to his Wikipedia biography, he started Brazilian jiu-jitsu at 11 in Copacabana under Osvaldo Alves, later trained muay thai, moved into MMA at 17 and now holds a jiu-jitsu black belt and trains with American Top Team.

He is no longer champion. He won the flyweight belt on 8 July 2023, defended it four times, lost it to Joshua Van in December 2025 and failed to win it back at UFC 331 on 19 September 2026. Behind Van, the rankings currently read Pantoja first, then Manel Kape, Brandon Royval, Tatsuro Taira and Kyoji Horiguchi.

Pantoja wins by taking people down and staying on top. His pattern is a takedown, top control, a move to the back with a body triangle and a rear-naked choke. He has 12 career submissions, and the six he has in the flyweight division are a divisional record, as CBS Sports reported after UFC 317.

The control is as important as the finishes. Against Royval at UFC 296 he spent nearly 16 minutes on top across five rounds, according to Low Kick MMA. Against Kai Kara-France he pinned him to the fence with a burst of strikes, got the takedown and worked to the back, which is how he tends to start his chokes.

He is not only a grappler. The UFC lists eight knockout wins, including a first-round finish of Matt Schnell in 2019, and his official striking accuracy is 51 per cent. The weakness the Van fights exposed is a long exchange on the feet against a faster striker. At UFC 331 Van landed 181 significant strikes to Pantoja's 147, and Pantoja completed only 5 of 18 takedowns despite more than nine minutes of control time, per theScore.

Pantoja appeared on The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions in 2016 and made his UFC debut in January 2017 with a split decision over Eric Shelton. He submitted Neil Seery that July, then lost a unanimous decision to Dustin Ortiz in January 2018.

The middle of his career shows how much he had to rebuild. He beat Brandon Moreno on points in May 2018, choked Ulka Sasaki, stopped Wilson Reis and lost a Fight of the Night decision to Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 240. A knockout of Schnell in December 2019 was followed by a loss to Askar Askarov in July 2020.

The run that made him a champion started in 2021: a decision over Kape in February, a second-round choke of Royval in August and a first-round neck crank of Alex Perez in July 2022, the last two earning Performance of the Night bonuses. At UFC 290 on 8 July 2023 he beat Moreno by split decision in a Fight of the Night to take the title.

His reign was short on drama and heavy on control. He beat Royval again by decision at UFC 296 in December 2023, Steve Erceg by decision at UFC 301 in May 2024, Kai Asakura by second-round rear-naked choke at UFC 310 in December 2024 and Kara-France by third-round choke at UFC 317 in June 2025. Yahoo Sports noted he was the first men's flyweight champion to defend at 35 or older.

It ended at UFC 323 in Las Vegas in December 2025. Pantoja threw a high kick, Van caught it and took him down, and Pantoja's arm bent beneath him as he landed. The fight was stopped after 26 seconds, and ESPN reported that Van, then 24, became the second-youngest champion in UFC history.

The rematch at UFC 331 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on 19 September 2026 was a real fight. Pantoja took Van down early and controlled the first round, but Van won the striking exchanges and scored the only knockdown in round five. CBS Sports and theScore both have Van winning 49-46, 48-47 and 50-45, although one outlet lists the middle card as 49-47, so check the official result before quoting it.

No fight has been announced. As of 30 September 2026 the UFC athlete page lists none, and Pantoja has not confirmed any plan in the sources checked for this profile. Van is reported to be facing Kape in early 2027, which leaves Pantoja to rebuild outside the title fight.

Outlets have floated different opponents, including Taira and Asu Almabayev, and BJPenn describes an Almabayev bout as the likely next step, but none of this is confirmed. A win over another top-five flyweight would keep him in the title conversation at 36. Another loss to a younger striker would raise real questions about how many title runs are left in him.

• UFC: Alexandre Pantoja athlete page
• UFC: Official rankings
• Wikipedia: Alexandre Pantoja
• CBS Sports: UFC 331 results, Joshua Van retains title against Alexandre Pantoja
• theScore: Van beats Pantoja in rematch to retain UFC flyweight title
• ESPN: Van wins flyweight title after Pantoja injures arm at UFC 323
• CBS Sports: UFC 317 results, Alexandre Pantoja submits Kai Kara-France
• Low Kick MMA: Alexandre Pantoja's title reign heading into UFC 323
• Yahoo Sports: Move over Demetrious Johnson, Alexandre Pantoja is the new flyweight GOAT
• BJPenn: What is next for the stars of UFC 331

What is Alexandre Pantoja's MMA record?

As of 30 September 2026 Alexandre Pantoja is 30-7, according to the UFC athlete page. His UFC record is 14-5: 14 wins, which is the flyweight record, and five losses, including two to Joshua Van in December 2025 and September 2026. The UFC page credits him with 12 wins by submission and eight by knockout.

Is Alexandre Pantoja still the UFC flyweight champion?

No. Pantoja lost the belt to Joshua Van by first-round TKO at UFC 323 in December 2025, after Pantoja injured his arm. He lost the rematch by unanimous decision at UFC 331 on 19 September 2026. Van is champion, and Pantoja is ranked number one among the contenders.

How does Alexandre Pantoja win fights?

Pantoja wins through takedowns, top control and back-taking, finishing with rear-naked chokes. He has the UFC flyweight records for wins, finishes and submissions. His weakness is a long striking exchange: Van out-landed him in significant strikes at UFC 331, and Pantoja completed 5 of 18 takedown attempts.

What happened to Pantoja at UFC 323?

Pantoja threw a high kick, Joshua Van caught it and took him down, and Pantoja's arm bent beneath him as he fell. The fight was stopped after 26 seconds and ruled a TKO win for Van, who became champion at 24. The UFC 331 rematch was the first time they fought a full bout.

When is Alexandre Pantoja's next fight?

No fight is booked as of 30 September 2026. The UFC athlete page lists no upcoming bout, and Pantoja has not announced a plan in the sources checked. Outlets have suggested opponents such as Asu Almabayev or Tatsuro Taira, but those are speculation. Joshua Van is reported to be defending against Manel Kape in early 2027.