Alexandre Pantoja and Kayla Harrison are on one other degree.
To UFC followers, Pantoja and Harrison are two of the best possible blended martial artists on the planet. However at their house fitness center, American Prime Crew, they’re merely generally known as the 2 hardest staff.
“Dan Lambert stated the opposite day that there’s no one—me and Kayla Harrison are the one two that do each class, each drill,” Pantoja stated in his UFC 317 post-fight interview. “I’m at all times the toughest employee within the room. I attempt to be my finest. I’m the one coaching probably the most within the fitness center.
“Now we have 100 fighters in American Prime Crew, and I really feel I’m one of many extra coaching guys, with the most effective fighters on the planet. That’s superb. I’ve a lot inspiration within the fitness center. Kayla Harrison is a large inspiration for us.
All of Pantoja’s arduous work paid off as soon as once more at UFC 317. Getting into the co-main occasion highlight, ‘The Cannibal’ delivered one other lights-out efficiency, dispatching challenger Kai Kara-France within the third spherical through rear-naked choke.
Alexandre Pantoja is on a collision course with the red-hot Joshua Van
Not solely did the victory function Pantoja’s fourth profitable flyweight title protection, nevertheless it additionally etched his identify within the historical past books, giving him probably the most finishes in UFC flyweight historical past, surpassing each Demetrious Johnson and Deiveson Figueiredo.
As for what comes subsequent, Pantoja has already accepted the problem of streaking Myanmar sensation Joshua Van.
After securing a powerful third-round TKO towards Bruno Silva at UFC 316, Van stepped again contained in the cage at UFC 317 on a mere three weeks’ discover for a conflict with the flyweight division’s top-ranked contender, Brandon Royval. What went down was one of many best fights in UFC historical past, as Van and ‘Uncooked Dawg’ pummeled each other from pillar to put up for 15 brutal minutes.
In the long run, it was Van who got here out on high through unanimous resolution, setting the stage for an enormous showdown with ‘The Cannibal’ later this yr.
