Athletes
Where We Stand: Flyweight Division | December 2024
Alexandre Pantoja Added Another Successful Title Defense To His Name, Leaving Lots Of Questions For What Comes Next
Despite two out-of-nowhere title challengers, Alexandre Pantoja held serve in 2024 and seems to be building a real case toward consideration as one of the greatest champions in the history of the flyweight division.
While he won’t get a matchup with the division’s G.O.A.T., Demetrious Johnson, Pantoja doesn’t have many other clear usurpers on the horizon whom he hasn’t already bested. That could mean we get a few rematches in the coming year, but luckily for all fight fans, each of those potential fights is dripping with stylistic and narrative intrigue.
Champion: Alexandre Pantoja
Last Fight: Submission Win vs Kai Asakura (12/7/2024)
Next fight: N/A
Outlook: “The Cannibal” got the job done in a big way against the much-hyped Kai Asakura. The title-defending submission was Pantoja’s first finish since he choked out Alex Perez in July 2022, and this performance was just as much of a statement. Pantoja called for a fight with the retired Demetrious Johnson, but he is much more likely to have a slate of rematches in 2025. Fights with Brandon Royval, Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France are all on the table in the early part of 2025, and Manel Kape could fight his way to a rematch with the Brazilian as well.
Outlook: After the disappointment of his title rematch with Alexandre Pantoja, Brandon Royval cemented his place in the flyweight elite again in 2024 with split decision wins over Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira. “Raw Dawg” remains one of the most dynamic and exciting fighters in the division, and he very well could be fighting for the title again if timing works his way in the first part of 2025.
Outlook: After a brief hiatus from competition, “The Assassin Baby” looked as good as he has in a while in his five-round beatdown of Amir Albazi in Edmonton. Moreno seemed refreshed and remotivated to get his belt back, but whether the decision win over Albazi was enough to get another crack at Pantoja is not yet known. Considering his name value and championship pedigree, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Moreno could get a title shot his next time out.
Outlook: The Octagon rust was real for Albazi in his first fight back since enduring a slew of surgeries. Making it to the fight after 16 months away was Albazi’s very real moral victory, but the 31-year-old now needs to get back to action and get his hand raised to solidify his place in the ever-competitive flyweight title picture. Fights against Taira, Asu Almabayev, Manel Kape or Kai Asakura all would make plenty of sense for “The Prince.”
Outlook: “Don’t Blink” returned to the Octagon in a big way at UFC 305. Fighting for the first time since dropping a controversial split decision to Amir Albazi in June 2023, Kara-France steamrolled Steve Erceg to the tune of a first-round knockout win. The 31-year-old Kiwi has a case to get his shot at Pantoja — who beat him during their season together on The Ultimate Fighter — but he may need to secure one more win to solidify that chance. Fights against Kai Asakura, Tatsuro Taira, or rematches against Brandon Moreno or Brandon Royval are all in play for him.
Outlook: Okinawa’s Tatsuro Taira suffered his first loss in the Octagon in 2024, but the 24-year-old proved he is a bonafide problem. His loss to Royval was razor-close, and he picked up an important main event win over Alex Perez earlier in the year as well. He is primed to fight down the rankings in his next fight to cement his position in the Top 5, and any ranked flyweight such as Charles Johnson or Almabayev would make sense for him next.
In the Mix: Manel Kape, Asu Almabayev
Outlook: If 2024 proved anything, it is that anyone in the Top 10 could get a shot at the title because Alexandre Pantoja is chewing up and spitting out contenders faster than the weight class can produce them. That said, Manel Kape has been simmering in and around a big fight since joining the roster. Injuries, odd performances and mishaps on the scale have prevented him from garnering the necessary momentum, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him in a main event in 2025.
Another name to look out for is Khazakstan’s Asu Almabayev. The 30-year-old picked up a solid trio of wins in 2024, most recently over Matheus Nicolau, to extend his overall winning streak to 17 and is very deserving of a top-tier test in his next fight.
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