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UFC flyweight Alexandre Pantoja believes the UFC gives Sean O’ Malley easy fights and found his last outing to be ‘disgusting. The Brazilian native is coming off an incredible second-round victory against Brandon Royval at UFC Vegas 34.

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The 31-year-old will probably get a shot at the title against Brandon Moreno in the coming months. In a recent interview with Sherdog, Alexandre Pantoja talked about some of his personal struggles before his most recent fight.

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Interestingly, Pantoja also took the time out to address his beef with bantamweight star, Sean O’ Malley, who claimed to have knocked Pantoja out during a sparring session many years ago at the MMA Lab in Arizona.

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“Sean O Malley is punk guy, you know. He makes tattoos, smoke weed, think he’s a gangster. But, when I go to the lab, the first time, I respect a lot, all of the guys.” said Pantoja… “And when I go to the lab, I do sparring with every guy, and I make a good training with O’ Malley. And after that O’Malley say some sh*t.”

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“But, he have the record of that training, but he never passed me the video. This is so crazy, but in Brazil, I bully guys like him in the school. He’s a nerd, and he thinks he’s a gangster….  I think O’Malley never fight for one guy like top, top in the division,you know. And the last fight UFC give him someone who is nobody for him and broke some records. I think this is a disgusting fight to watch, you know.”   


The former Legacy Alliance Fighting Flyweight champion went onto issue a stern warning to O’Malley, dismissing him for the sub-par level of competition he’s faced until now. Finally, the Brazilian native insinuated he’d fight O’Malley for free after he becomes the new flyweight champion.

Can Alexandre Pantoja become the new flyweight champion?

Following an upset decision victory to Askar Askarov back in 2020, Alexandre Pantoja is on a two-fight win streak and is the number three ranked flyweight in the division.

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Interestingly, Pantoja holds two wins over the reigning champion Moreno. The first one came via rear-naked choke during their time on The Ultimate Fighter 24, while the second win came two years later via unanimous decision.

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Needless to say, Pantoja will be facing a much better version of Brandon Moreno come fight night. However, considering his history with ‘The Assassin Baby’, Pantoja is confident he will deliver a knockout in their trilogy fight.

A fight that could undoubtedly be a fight of the year candidate, could end with the belt changing hands.

What do you think? Can Alexandre Pantoja defeat Brandon Moreno to become the flyweight champion? Let us know in the comments.

Watch This Story: Event Recap: Best Fights From UFC Vegas 35: Barboza vs. Chikadze

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David Andrew

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David Andrew is a UFC author at EssentiallySports with a background in English Literature from St. Stephens College. Prior to his current role, David, who combines his passion for writing and combat sports, contributed to the MMA divisions at Sportskeeda and The Sportsrush. As a professional MMA writer, he enjoys writing prediction and fight breakdown copies. An ardent combat sports fan, David has been hooked on MMA ever since watching his first fight in 2011, a showdown between Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz at UFC 141, and hasn't looked back since. A massive Khabib Nurmagomedov fan, David wishes to interview 'The Eagle' in the future. Aside from his professional pursuits, David is an avid musician who spends his time singing, writing songs and playing the guitar and the piano.

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