Alexandre Pantoja

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Alexandre Pantoja
Alexandre Pantoja.png
Pantoja in 2023
BornAlexandre Pantoja Passidomo [1]
(1990-04-16) April 16, 1990 (age 35)
Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [2]
Other namesThe Cannibal
Residence Coconut Creek, Florida, U.S.
Height5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight125 lb (57 kg; 8.9 st)
Division Flyweight
Reach68 in (173 cm)
Fighting out ofArraial do Cabo, Brazil [1]
TeamBlack House (formerly)
American Top Team (2018–present) [3]
Rank Black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu [4]
Years active2007–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total35
Wins30
By knockout8
By submission12
By decision10
Losses5
By decision5
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Alexandre Pantoja Passidomo (born April 16, 1990) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Flyweight Champion. He is considered as one of the greatest Flyweights of all time. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] As of August 19, 2025, he is #5 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings. [11]

Contents

Pantoja captured the UFC Flyweight Championship by defeating Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 on July 8, 2023. [12] He has since defended the title four consecutive times while on an eight fight win streak. [13] Pantoja holds many UFC records in the Flyweight division, including the most wins, most submissions, and most finishes. [14] He is also the first male UFC flyweight to win a title fight at the age of 35 or older. [15] In his 35-fight professional career, Pantoja has never been finished by an opponent. [10]

Early life

Alexandre Pantoja was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The youngest of three children, his mother, Ester Pantoja, was adopted as a child as her biological parents could not afford to raise her. [16] The surname "Pantoja," inherited from his mother's adoptive family, was taken by Alexandre and, according to him, carried with pride throughout his MMA career. [17] [18] [19] [20]

During his childhood, he experienced difficult moments with his parents' separation, after family conflicts led his father to leave home. Raised primarily by his mother, he was introduced to Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the age of 11 through the influence of his stepfather, Moraes, with whom he began training at the traditional academy of renowned master Osvaldo Alves in Copacabana. At age 12, he moved with his family to Arraial do Cabo, where he started training with boys his own age for the first time, having previously only trained with older athletes. [16] [17] [18] [19]

Despite a promising start in martial arts, his relationship with his stepfather deteriorated due to alcohol-related problems, which led Pantoja to move to Bahia to live with his father. There, he maintained his dedication to jiu-jitsu and began teaching the discipline at just 15 years old, in addition to winning his first state title in the gentle art. [20]

Back in Arraial do Cabo, he participated in a jiu-jitsu championship held in a ring, where he first encountered muay thai. Fascinated by the new martial art, he began training under the guidance of master Helbert Reis, accumulating several victories in the sport. [20] [21] However, due to the lack of financial return in muay thai, often having to pay to compete, he decided to transition to mixed martial arts. His professional MMA debut occurred at the age of 17. [20]

Mixed martial arts career

The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions

On May 11, 2016, the UFC announced that the 16 contestants for the season of this TUF would be flyweight champion fighters from various organizations around the world, with the winner being expected to have a chance to fight for the flyweight title against Demetrious Johnson. The cast was announced on July 20. The coaches for the season were the former challengers to the flyweight belt, Joseph Benavidez and Henry Cejudo, and Pantoja was from Team Cejudo. [22]

He was ranked # 1 in Team Cejudo, and made his first fight against # 16 Team Benavidez, Brandon Moreno. The two came to interact within the house, even with Pantoja speaking Portuguese and Brandon Moreno speaking Spanish, the similarity between languages facilitated communication. In the fight, Alexandre Pantoja defeated Brandon Moreno by submission in the second round. With this victory, Pantoja went to the quarterfinals of the reality show. [23] [24] [25] [26]

Pantoja faced fellow team Cejudo member Kai Kara-France in the quarterfinals, defeating him by unanimous decision and progressing through to the semifinals. [27]

Pantoja faced Hiromasa Ougikubo in the semifinals of the tournament and was defeated by unanimous decision, and it was soon announced that he had contracted with the UFC. [28]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Alexandre made his promotional debut on January 28, 2017, at UFC on Fox 23 against Eric Shelton. [29] He won the fight via split decision. [30]

Pantoja faced Neil Seery on July 16, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 113. [31] He won the fight via submission in the third round. [32]

Pantoja faced Dustin Ortiz on January 20, 2018 at UFC 220. [33] He lost the fight by unanimous decision. [34]

Pantoja faced Brandon Moreno on May 19, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 129. [35] He won the fight by unanimous decision. [36]

Pantoja faced Ulka Sasaki on November 17, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 140. [37] He won the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the first round. [38]

Pantoja faced Wilson Reis on April 13, 2019 at UFC 236. [39] He won the fight via TKO in the first round. [40]

Pantoja faced Deiveson Figueiredo on July 27, 2019 at UFC 240. [41] He lost the fight via unanimous decision. [42] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award. [43]

Pantoja faced Matt Schnell on December 21, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 165. [44] He won the fight via first-round knockout. [45] The win also earned Pantoja his first Performance of the Night bonus award. [46]

Pantoja faced Askar Askarov at UFC Fight Night 172 on July 19, 2020. [47] He lost the fight via unanimous decision. [48]

Pantoja was expected to face promotional newcomer and the former Rizin FF Bantamweight champion Manel Kape on December 19, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 183. [49] However Pantoja pulled out of the fight in early December for undisclosed reasons. [50] The fight eventually took place on February 6, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 184. [51] Pantoja won the fight via unanimous decision. [52]

Pantoja faced Brandon Royval on August 21, 2021 UFC on ESPN 29. [53] He won the fight via rear-naked choke in round two. [54] With this win, Pantoja earned the Performance of the Night award. [55] Pantoja was meant to fight for the UFC flyweight title but a knee injury forced him out of it. [56]

Pantoja faced Alex Perez on July 30, 2022, at UFC 277. [57] He won the fight via a neck crank submission early in the first round. [58] The win also earned Pantoja his third Performance of the Night award. [59]

UFC Flyweight Champion

Pantoja rematched Brandon Moreno on July 8, 2023 at UFC 290 for the UFC Flyweight Championship. [60] Pantoja came out victorious via split decision, winning the bout and the title. [61] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award. [62]

In his first title defense, Pantoja faced Brandon Royval in a rematch on December 16, 2023, at UFC 296. [63] He successfully defended his title, winning the bout via unanimous decision. [64]

Pantoja faced Steve Erceg on May 4, 2024, at UFC 301. [65] He won and successfully defended his title via unanimous decision. [66]

Pantoja made his third UFC Flyweight Championship title defense against former two-time Rizin Bantamweight Champion and promotional newcomer Kai Asakura on December 7, 2024 at UFC 310. [67] He won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the second round. [68] This fight earned him another Performance of the Night award. [69]

Pantoja was reportedly going to make his fourth title defense against Kai Kara-France on April 12, 2025, at UFC 314. [70] However, for unknown reasons, the bout was reportedly moved to June 7, 2025 at UFC 316 but never came to fruition. [71] The bout was rescheduled and took place on June 28, 2025 at UFC 317. [72] Pantoja won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the third round. [73] This victory allowed Pantoja to hold the record for most wins, submission wins and finishes in UFC Flyweight history. [74]

Personal life

Pantoja is married and has two sons. After winning the UFC Flyweight Championship at UFC 290, Pantoja revealed in the post-fight interview that his father had abandoned his family, leaving his mother to raise him and his two brothers alone, and (facing the camera) asked his father if he was proud of him now. [75]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
35 matches30 wins5 losses
By knockout80
By submission120
By decision105
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Win30–5 Kai Kara-France Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 317 June 28, 202531:54 Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesDefended the UFC Flyweight Championship.
Win29–5 Kai Asakura Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 310 December 7, 202422:05 Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesDefended the UFC Flyweight Championship. Performance of the Night.
Win28–5 Steve Erceg Decision (unanimous) UFC 301 May 4, 202455:00 Rio de Janeiro, BrazilDefended the UFC Flyweight Championship.
Win27–5 Brandon Royval Decision (unanimous) UFC 296 December 16, 202355:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesDefended the UFC Flyweight Championship.
Win26–5 Brandon Moreno Decision (split) UFC 290 July 8, 202355:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesWon the UFC Flyweight Championship. Fight of the Night.
Win25–5 Alex Perez Submission (neck crank) UFC 277 July 30, 202211:31 Dallas, Texas, United StatesPerformance of the Night.
Win24–5 Brandon Royval Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Gastelum August 21, 202121:46 Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesPerformance of the Night.
Win23–5 Manel Kape Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov February 6, 202135:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss22–5 Askar Askarov Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 July 19, 202035:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win22–4 Matt Schnell KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. The Korean Zombie December 21, 201914:17 Busan, South KoreaPerformance of the Night.
Loss21–4 Deiveson Figueiredo Decision (unanimous) UFC 240 July 27, 201935:00 Edmonton, Alberta, CanadaFight of the Night.
Win21–3 Wilson Reis TKO (punches) UFC 236 April 13, 201912:58 Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Win20–3 Ulka Sasaki Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Ponzinibbio November 17, 201812:18 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Win19–3 Brandon Moreno Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman May 19, 201835:00 Santiago, Chile
Loss18–3 Dustin Ortiz Decision (unanimous) UFC 220 January 20, 201835:00 Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win18–2 Neil Seery Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio July 16, 201732:31 Glasgow, Scotland
Win17–2 Eric Shelton Decision (split) UFC on Fox: Shevchenko vs. Peña January 28, 201735:00 Denver, Colorado, United States
Win16–2 Damacio Page Technical Submission (triangle choke)RFA vs. Legacy FC 1August 5, 201525:00 Robinsonville, Mississippi, United StatesWon the inaugural AXS TV Flyweight Superfight Championship.
Win15–2Matt ManzanaresSubmission (rear-naked choke)RFA 18December 9, 201422:38 Albuquerque, New Mexico, United StatesWon the RFA Flyweight Championship.
Win14–2Lincoln de Sá OliveiraDecision (unanimous)Shooto Brazil 45December 20, 201335:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win13–2Daniel AraújoSubmission (rear-naked choke)Watch Out Combat Show 31November 1, 201312:13 Rio de Janeiro, BrazilWOCS Flyweight Tournament Semifinal.
Win12–2Rodrigo Favacho dos SantosSubmission (rear-naked choke)MMA Fight Show 1March 16, 201314:29 Arraial do Cabo, Brazil
Win11–2Lincoln de Sá OliveiraDecision (unanimous)Shooto Brazil 32July 14, 201235:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win10–2Sandro Gemaque de SouzaKO (punches)Fatality Arena Fight Night 1December 9, 201133:58 Niterói, Brazil
Win9–2Samuel de SouzaTKO (elbows and punches)World Fighting Combat 3December 22, 201011:23 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win8–2Bruno AzevedoSubmission (rear-naked choke)Shooto Brazil 18September 17, 20101N/A Brasília, Brazil
Loss7–2 Jussier Formiga Decision (unanimous)Shooto Brazil 16June 12, 201035:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win7–1Ralph AlvesDecision (split)Watch Out Combat Show 6December 12, 200935:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win6–1Magno AlvesKO (punch)Watch Out Combat Show 5September 27, 20091N/A Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win5–1Michael William CostaDecision (unanimous)Shooto Brazil 13August 27, 200935:00 Fortaleza, Brazil
Win4–1Bruno MorenoTKO (doctor stoppage)Shooto Brazil 12May 30, 200934:09 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win3–1Gabriel WolffTKO (doctor stoppage)Shooto Brazil 11March 28, 200925:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Loss2–1William ViannaDecision (split)Watch Out Combat Show 2September 25, 200835:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win2–0Peterson MalfortTKO (punches)Rocinha FightAugust 2, 20082N/A Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win1–0Antônio CarlosSubmission (armbar)Vila FightJuly 21, 20071N/A Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

[89]

Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Loss2–1 Hiromasa Ougikubo Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions November 23, 201625:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States TUF 24 Semi Finals
Win2–0 Kai Kara-France Decision (unanimous)November 2, 201625:00 TUF 24 Quarter Finals
Win1–0 Brandon Moreno Submission (rear-naked choke)August 31, 201623:44 TUF 24 Round of 16

*Date given is the air date of the episode. The actual dates of the fight are not released by the UFC

Pay-per-view bouts

NoEventFightDateVenueCityPPV buys
1. UFC 301 Pantoja vs. ErcegMay 4, 2024 Farmasi Arena Rio de Janeiro, BrazilNot Disclosed [90]
2. UFC 310 Pantoja vs. AsakuraDecember 7, 2024 T-Mobile Arena Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesNot Disclosed [91]

See also

References

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Awards and achievements
Preceded by 7th UFC Flyweight Champion
July 8, 2023 – present
Incumbent