Alexandre Pantoja could also be sensible to journey off into the sundown following UFC 331, a minimum of that’s what Demetrious Johnson thinks.
Pantoja hoped to show that he’s nonetheless the true king of the flyweight division when he shared the Octagon with Joshua Van a second time this previous Saturday. Their first encounter ended prematurely when Pantoja suffered an arm damage. Whereas the second conflict was a five-round affair that earned “Struggle of the Evening” bonuses, it was Van who walked out of the Crypto.com Area nonetheless the 125-pound ruler.
So, the place does that depart Pantoja now? Throughout a post-UFC 331 version of the “Precision Pod,” Johnson instructed Israel Adesanya that he feels now can be a very good time for Pantoja to stroll away from professional MMA competitors given his place within the flyweight division and not using a title (by way of MMAJunkie).
“It’s exhausting as a result of he was a champion, and he’s beat Brandon Moreno, he’s beat Brandon Royval,” Johnson mentioned. “I don’t know if he’s beat Manel Kape, however Manel Kape goes to be combating Joshua Van subsequent. So it’s sort of attention-grabbing as a result of he’s within the no-man’s land the place he’s overwhelmed everybody already. The one guys he can struggle now are simply newcomers. He’s not going to struggle Kyoji Horiguchi as a result of they’re teammates. You don’t wish to knock down an upcoming newcomer as a result of Pantoja is 36. That’s the place my black ass simply goes, ‘Canine, journey off into the sundown. You don’t have to get hit. You don’t want concussions anymore. You’ve achieved your factor.’”
Whether or not or not Pantoja feels the identical approach stays to be seen. The previous flyweight champion might be turning 37 in April, and he’s already cemented his legacy with a prolonged run on the high of his weight class. Pantoja has lengthy dismissed the potential for shifting as much as bantamweight, however maybe the loss to Van will give him one thing to think about.
The place ought to Alexandre Pantoja go from right here? Is retirement a powerful risk? If not, ought to he stick round at flyweight or transfer as much as 135 kilos? Tell us what you assume within the feedback beneath.
This text appeared first on BJPENN.COM
