UFC 317 star Alexandre Pantoja should not be tampered with on the floor.
Pantoja is one of the longest ruling champions of the UFC, which collected the flight weight gold in the summer of 2023. Since then, 'The Cannibal' has remained active by including three successful title defenses.
To set up his upcoming fourth against Kai Kara-France on UFC 317, Pantoja submitted newcomer Kai Asakura to UFC 310 last December. The Brazilian left his Japanese rival unconscious with a tight chake.
And that was far from the first time that Pantoja took an opponent cold with the same movement.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Alexandre Pantoja left an opponent in penultimate battle before UFC shot
Before Pantoja arrived in the UFC in 2016 via the Ultimate Fighter, Pantoja outlined himself as a prospect to view with back-to-back title extraction on the regional scene. Both fights contain 'The Cannibal' who choked his opponents, but the first was mainly brutal.
Pantoja challenged in December 2014, a few years before the promotion merged with the well-known Legacy Fighting Alliance brand for the Resurrection Fighting Alliance title in December 2014, a few years before the promotion merged.
The Brazilian brought an end to the fight halfway through the round two when he returned the classic way of Matt Manzanares before he sank in a second -noded choke. The American fought against the submission for 25 seconds, but eventually collapsed and fell unconscious.
As Pantoja celebrated, Manzanares was shaking on the floor in a harrowing scene before he woke up and was told what had happened.
Alexandre Pantoja could not finish the UFC 317 opponent in their first fight
After drawing the UFC's attention and becoming a member of the cast of the Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions, Pantoja continued his entry trend.
In his round of 16 fights, Pantoja Brandon Moreno ended with a second -noded choke for their two fights in the Octagon, the second 'The Cannibal' saw the title on UFC 290.
It was in the quarter-final stage where Pantoja met his upcoming opponent, Kara-France. 'Don't Blink' took the Brazilian to the score cards, but could not do enough to stop his leadership.
Almost ten years later, the couple will extend the hostilities at UFC 317, where defending champion Pantoja will try to improve his amateur win on Kara-France with a finish in the distance.