Alexandre Pantoja reacts to Belal Muhammad’s scratch from UFC 310, makes case to headline event

UFC champ Alexandre Pantoja believes his upcoming title defense against Kai Asakura would deliver in the main event spot at UFC 310.

Pantoja and Asakura are set for a championship bout at the UFC’s year-end pay-per-view event Dec. 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The bout was slated to be the co-main event of the card behind the Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov welterweight title bout, but Muhammad was forced to withdraw from the contest after suffering a nasty bone infection on his foot.

Rakhmonov says he’d be open to remaining on the card to fight for an interim title, but currently, the card is without a main event.

“I heard about Belal [being] hurt like two days ago in my gym before and I said, ‘It’s right?,’” Pantoja told MMA Fighting. “But it’s just talk, the guys just talking about it and then [earlier] I just seen the video [with him] in hospital with his feet. That’s a real, real problem on there, and this happens [at] a lot in the MMA gyms, some infections [on] the floor, they go to the gym. ... I just [have] one main event in my life — in my last fight [at UFC 301] in Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro, and I know there’s some difference [fighting in that spot].

“You need to do more stuff to sell your pay-per-view, sell your fight, and let’s go. It’s a good time to learn about that. I think what everybody knows about is how I’m fighting, and after, I took a little break — maybe people don’t realize that, but I took a little break. My last fight was in May and now I fight in December, and this break is very good for me, for my family, you know. a lot of pressure, three title fights, and my coach Marcos Parrumpa say to me, ‘You need a break, you need to relax. You and your family need like one or two months. Don’t think about fights, you know, don’t think about you [needing] a fight, no cameras and everything.

“And now I’m feel super fresh for that fight because I had a good time, my family had a good time and now we’re in camp again. And we can see the difference in the house because my family breathes my fights because this happened for so many years. I know, 100 percent, I’m going to put on a very good show. I don’t like to say I’m going to finish that guy, I do my job, but, 100 percent, I’m in the best shape of my life.”

Pantoja captured the title with a decision win in an exciting battle with Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 in July 2023. “The Cannibal” has gone on to successfully defend the title twice, earning decision wins against Brandon Royval and Steve Erceg.

He’ll face Asakura, the former RIZIN bantamweight champion who signed with the UFC earlier this year. Asakura enters the bout after finishing his past two opponents, including former Bellator champ Juan Archuleta at RIZIN 45 this past December to regain the RIZIN 135-pound title.

With both fighters bringing exciting styles and fun fights to the cage, Pantoja’s suggestion is to have the UFC brass put the phones down and let the 125-pound fighters slug it out to close out the promotion’s pay-per-view year.

“I’m super excited, I’m the main event right now,” Pantoja said. “OK, I don’t talk too much, I’m from Brazil, my English is not so good but I think everybody has a good opportunity to see one of the best [fights] of the year. [The UFC signs] Asakura, the Japanese star, the champion from Japan for long years. I’m super happy with that crossover. I think it all the MMA fans want to see more of that. I [was] talking about [this] in the gym, we have Johnny Eblen in my gym. He’s a Bellator champ, I think about, maybe you have to bring him to UFC.

“That’s what everybody wants to see: The best [in the] UFC versus another promotion, another champion for all the world, and I have the opportunity. I’m very happy with the opponent for me, and more because I have [fought in main] events and Asakura [is] very popular in Japan, and I know [that] the Japanese buy a lot of pay-per-views too. That’s very good.”