SÃO PAULO — Kyoji Horiguchi`s return to the UFC after his championship reigns in RIZIN and Bellator is anticipated, and his teammate, Alexandre Pantoja, has expressed his willingness to defend his flyweight title against him in the future.
While the UFC hasn`t yet announced the date and opponent for Horiguchi`s comeback fight, Pantoja envisions a future matchup with his American Top Team training partner. This would depend on the Japanese fighter building a winning streak upon his return.
“At ATT, we have hundreds of fighters,” Pantoja explained. “Teammates often face each other. However, Kyoji Horiguchi played a crucial role in my journey to win this belt. I`m not sure I would have had the opportunity to even contend for the title, or become champion, without Kyoji`s support. He`s been by my side throughout my training camps. I`m always grateful to him. If Kyoji helped me achieve this, he also helped my family.”
Pantoja continued, “Every chance I get to thank him, I do. Kyoji, thank you for everything. Fighting him for the belt would be a pleasure. It would only be for the belt, though. I don`t see us fighting otherwise. But for the title, that`s a different conversation. It would feel like a gift to fight Kyoji for the championship. I hope to hold onto this belt long enough to make that fight with Kyoji happen. We both appreciate the opportunity. I can tell you, when Kyoji and I spar in the gym, everyone stops to watch. It`s a privilege to have Kyoji in my corner.”
Pantoja mentioned that Horiguchi already has a UFC fight lined up, but he couldn`t disclose the details. Having successfully defended his title three times against Brandon Moreno, Steve Erceg, and Kai Asakura, Pantoja welcomes any challenger in the flyweight division.
“What I appreciate about my division is that everyone gets a chance,” Pantoja stated. “I’ve fought and defeated the No. 1 contender [Brandon Royval] twice, and the No. 2 contender, Moreno, three times. Then they brought in top-10 contender Erceg, and then a champion from another organization [Asakura]. I think there are opportunities for everyone in my division, and I`m happy about that. Nobody knows who`s next for me. Manel Kape? Brandon Moreno again? Brandon Royval? Kai Kara-France? Even Merab Dvalishvili is being talked about. I love the uncertainty; I love that everyone has a shot.”
While UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili is set to defend his title against Sean O’Malley in early June, and Pantoja previously considered a potential fight with O’Malley, he now focuses on his own division. “I have my own division to focus on.” With UFC 316 already packed with two title fights, including the bantamweight clash and Kayla Harrison challenging Julianna Peña, Pantoja offered to compete at UFC 317 in Las Vegas on June 28.
“My goal is to win my next fight. That’s my focus,” Pantoja said. “I don’t consider myself the best fighter in the world right now. I’m not in a full training camp. Coming to Brazil, I lose about 10 days of training. I need to get back to American Top Team, and I know everyone there will push me hard, especially Kyoji Horiguchi. Now that he`s coming to the UFC, I know he’ll be eager to push me. That mindset of constantly improving is what makes me tough.”
“I may not feel like the best fighter in the world right now, but when I sign that fight contract and the date is set, I want to be the best fighter in the world on that day. That`s what I strive for. That’s my goal, to have the opportunity to be world champion again. I want to be champion again, and when I have a date, I`ll be ready to be champion again.”
