Alexandre Pantoja has his hands full this Saturday night at UFC 310 when he defends his belt. The reigning flyweight champion will be taking on newcomer Kai Asakura, a former RIZIN bantamweight titleholder.
But Pantoja is also thinking about the future. And that includes maybe the return of Demetrious Johnson to the Octagon.
Read more: UFC Tonight: Full UFC 310 Card, TV Info, Start Time And Final Betting Odds
“Mighty Mouse” dominated the flyweight division from its inception. However, he left the UFC during a “trade” involving Ben Askren to ONE Championship. Earlier this year, he announced his retirement.
But Pantoja wonders if that has just cleared him to make a return to the UFC.
“Now he retired, and now UFC can contract him again,” Pantoja told MMA Fighting. “The only thing I can think about is that. I don’t know if they can do that. Huge respect for him; he’s a GOAT and I respect everything he did for my division.
Alexandre Pantoja record: 28-5 (8 KOs, 10 submissions)
“We needed respect because I need to pay my bills. I’m a fighter, I’m a professional. That’s my job and Demetrious opened space for us.”
The 34-year-old Pantoja won the belt in 2023 over Brandon Moreno. He has reeled off six consecutive wins, including a title defense this past May over Steve Erceg.
While fighting Johnson might never happen, Pantoja does want to learn from him. He is hoping to secure a future training session with the former champion.
“I train with the best fighters in the world,” he said. “I have the opportunity to fight the best fighters in the world. If Demetrious (is) retired and doesn’t fight no more, maybe just train.”
UFC 310 takes place this Saturday night live on ESPN+ pay-per-view from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Along with Pantoja vs. Asakura, Shavkat Rakhmonov meets Ian Machado Garry, Ciryl Gane fights Alexander Volkov, Bryce Mitchell squares off with Kron Gracie and Nate Landwehr takes on Choi Doo-ho.
The prelims for the card include the likes of Dominick Reyes, Anthony Smith, Aljaman Sterling, Chris Weidman, Michael Chiesa, and Clay Guida.
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