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Alexandre Pantoja beats Kai Asakura by submission to win the flyweight title at UFC 310 | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

Posted on by Taylor Reeves
Alexandre Pantoja beats Kai Asakura by submission to win the flyweight title at UFC 310 | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

Alexandre Pantoja

Alexandre PantojaJeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Alexandre Pantoja extended his title defense at UFC 310 with a second-round submission win over Kai Asakura at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

It didn’t take long for the action to get going in this case. The champion confidently came to the center of the cage and tried to land the first volley, but the contender responded with a flying knee.

The ensuing exchange turned into a scramble and extreme control for Pantoja.

However, that was short-lived and the two got back on their feet. Pantoja wasn’t afraid of an exchange with the former bantamweight champion and still survived the round.

The second round didn’t go so well for the challenger. He was able to land a few shots, but the champion bounced back against the fence. From there, he was able to sink into a rear-naked choke that prevented Asakura from continuing.

Danny Segura @Dannyseguratv

Alexandre Pantoja has improved enormously. What a clean victory over Asakura.
Truly the most underrated champion in the UFC. #UFC310

Pantoja has now made three consecutive title defenses since winning the title in July 2023 and has joined some good lists.

Michael Carroll @MJCflipdascript

Alexandre Pantoja is tied with Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez for the most wins in UFC flyweight history with 13.
He also ties Johnson and Deiveson Figueiredo for the most finishes in UFC flyweight history with 7. #UFC310

The flyweight title has been somewhat uncertain since Demetrious Johnson’s reign of 11 title defenses from September 2012 to August 2018. Pantoja is the first champion to have defended it three times since then, and Deiveson Figueiredo is the only other champion to have defended it twice during that period.

The Brazilian continues to reiterate that he is the best in the world at 125 and on a seven-fight winning streak. His victory over Asakura, the bantamweight champion of Japan’s RIZIN Fighting Federation, lends more credence to that claim.

However, there is still a long way to go before he can reach the likes of Demetrious Johnson. Steve Erceg was ranked 10th in the flyweight division when they met, and this title defense comes against a UFC newcomer.

Lots of challenges await the champion.

Rematches with Brandon Royval and Brandon Moreno are both options. He mentioned her in an interview with Mission goes into this fight.

“It should be Brandon Royval, who just has two wins,” he said of his next challenger. “Then there is Brandon Moreno, who is a big star and former champion who is doing great work with Amir Albazi. Kai Kara France is also at the forefront, but he only has one win after two defeats.”

Pantoja has two wins against Royval, so it’s hard to imagine this being the next fight. However, a rematch with Moreno would definitely make sense. The first fight was a split decision and Moreno narrowly defeated up-and-coming contender Amir Albazi.

Regardless, Pantoja showed on Saturday night why he is the champion again.

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