The MMA Daily

We have an important fight in the Flyweight division, as Alexandre Pantoja takes on Alex Perez. A winner of two straight and three of the last four, Pantoja has jumped up to fourth in the rankings. Inching closer and closer to a title shot, with a victory here, Pantoja will position himself to at worst, a number one contender’s fight next. Meanwhile, Perez comes into this fight with a huge opportunity. Having not fought since challenging Deiveson Figueiredo for the Flyweight title in November of 2020, due to six fight cancellations, Perez has a chance to re-enter the title mix with one victory.

This should be a highly entertaining fight, as both men bring it when they step inside the octagon. Pantoja is a well rounded fighter, who is dangerous wherever the fight goes. However, on the ground is where Pantoja is strongest. Boasting excellent grappling, Pantoja has won nine of his twenty-four wins via submission. Among the all-time leaders in sixteen categories in the Flyweight division, Pantoja is truly one of the best Flyweight’s on the planet. Looking to take the Brazilian’s spot in the rankings though is Perez. A well rounded fighter himself, Perez has proven that can win a fight on the feet or with his wrestling. With six stoppages in his last eight wins, four of which came via submission, Perez is a fighter that is evolving into a more dangerous version of himself each fight.

In what I expect to be a battle, I’m going to side with Pantoja. While Perez brings forth more output and overall activity than the Brazilian, he has historically struggled with grapplers who have dangerous submission abilities. As evident by four of his six losses coming via submission. Given Pantoja’s grappling and submission prowess, I like the Brazilian’s chances at getting this fight to the ground and eventually locking up a submission victory.