The headlining fight at UFC 301 will have the flyweight title up for grabs. Alexandre Pantoja will defend his title for the second time in the main event against the surging contender, Steve Erceg. With that in mind, today we will be looking at Pantoja and the details about his weight cut.

Fighters usually choose a weight class lower than their natural bodyweight to compete in. Former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo is a prime example. The Brazilian used to cut around 40 pounds to make weight. To no one’s surprise, he had to move up since such a drastic cut was not sustainable long term. Does Alexander Pantoja undergo a similar drastic weight cut? Let’s explore that part!

Alexandre Pantoja is a true flyweight

For Brazilian flyweight star Alexandre Pantoja, making the 125 lbs limit has not been an issue. The 34-year-old is what we could call a true 125-pounder, and has always competed as a flyweight since the beginning of his MMA career in 2007. All throughout his MMA journey, he’s only had disagreements with the scale just twice.

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This is possible because he walks around at a weight closer to the flyweight limit. He has been consistently making 125 pounds for all of his fights. The only time weight cut became an issue for him was due to illness, back in 2020. He pulled out and won the rescheduled bout the following year. Let’s take a closer look at the time the champion had to tough it out.

The only time Pantoja had a weight-cut issue

Alexandre Pantoja’s UFC record shows only one canceled fight. This was supposed to take place in 2020 against Manel Kape. The reason behind the cancellation of the fight was not because of a weight miss. Rather, Pantoja had no choice but to pull out because he was experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. He would later end up fighting Kape after he recovered from his illness in February 2021.

He has also admitted to having weight cut issues before his fight against Royval in 2021. “During fight week I also had a bad case of the flu. I was taking medicine coming into the fight. I had a troubled weight cut because of that, but I didn’t have problems gaining weight. All of that made my win even more meaningful and gave me an even stronger desire to win,” the champion said.

‘The Cannibal’ has always been a consummate professional and kept his weight in check to compete in some of the biggest flyweight fights the UFC has ever put up. Alexandre Pantoja’s dedication and hard work paid off as he captured the flyweight title after defeating Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 just days after he left his job as an Uber Eats driver.

Alexandre Pantoja is now the face of the 125-pound division. Having defeated the legendary Brandon Moreno, he now has his sights on putting his own name in history books by defeating Steve Erceg and continuing his title reign.