Alexandre Pantoja is looking to make a statement against Brandon Moreno at UFC 290.
Pantoja (25-5 MMA, 9-3 UFC) challenges flyweight champion Moreno (21-6-2 MMA, 9-3-2 UFC) in the co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It will be their third fight against each other.
Pantoja submitted Moreno in the opening bout of Season 24 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” in which No. 16 Moreno put up a valiant effort against No. 1 seed Pantoja. The pair rematched two years later in 2018 in Santiago, Chile, where Pantoja put on a lopsided beating against a bloodied Moreno that included two 30-26 scorecards from the judges.
Heading into their third fight, Pantoja hopes to replicate his performance in Chile.
“I’m going to smash Brandon Moreno,” Pantoja told MMA Junkie. “I like when Khabib said that to Conor McGregor: ‘I’m going to smash your boy.’ That’s what’s going to happen on July 8. I come for complete domination like I did in Chile. When I did that in Chile, I arrived at (American Top Team) for three months. Now I have five years here. I’ve trained five years at the same gym with my same coaches, (Marcos) ‘Parrumpa’ (DaMatta and) (Luciano Dos Santos) ‘Macarrao.’ A lot of people say Moreno is not the same guy. I’m not the same guy, (either).”
Although Pantoja holds two wins over Moreno, their career trajectories have been different. Both fighters have found success in the octagon, but Moreno’s underdog-to-gold story has led to him becoming one of the most beloved fighters on the UFC roster.
At UFC 290, Pantoja hopes to get some of that love, too.
“To see my face on the banner around, that’s one of my victories,” Pantoja said. “I’ve seen some banners that don’t have my picture, but now, I see my picture in fight week. That’s a good day to show everybody that doesn’t know about me who is Alexandre Pantoja. I see a lot of people say, ‘Who’s that guy?’ and July 8 is a good day for everybody to know who is Alexandre Pantoja.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.