LAS VEGAS -- Doing media is one of the least favorite tasks most professional athletes do, fitting somewhere between doing a tax return and doing an anti-doping test. For fighters in UFC title fights, it's a particularly daunting task because it's a number of days of sitting in front of a computer for hours upon end answering the same questions repeatedly.
If something goes wrong, as if often does, it's a nightmare for the fighter because he/she may have to start over.
That's the last thing I want to have happen in my interviews with fighters. My dog, a nearly 8-year-old male Basset Hound named Malkin (Yes, named after Pittsburgh Penguins' center Evgeni Malkin) doesn't really care though. And so on the day I pulled in front of my computer to interview UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja, a UPS truck pulled in front of my house.
My heart pounded, because I knew it was going to be a disaster. If the doorbell rang, Malkin, who was laying on my feet at the start of the interview, was going to bark his fool head off.
And sure enough, just as I mentioned that Pantoja would defend his flyweight title against Kai Asakura, the delivery driver hit the doorbell. Malkin bolted off of my feet and charged downstairs as if he were Usain Bolt in the Olympic finale. To my surprise, though, I looked at Pantoja on my screen and he wasn't angry. He wasn't upset that we'd have to start over.
He was laughing. I suggested we restart.
"He don't like Asakura," said Pantoja, who defends his belt Saturday against Kai Asakura in the main event of UFC 310 at T-Mobile Arena. "No [don't restart]. That was perfect. He doesn't like Asakura. You said the name and he started to bark. That's perfect."
And that in a nutshell is who Alexandre Pantoja is: A self-made man who came from nothing to become a world champion in his chosen profession but who doesn't think too highly of himself or see himself above anyone else.
Asakura signed with the UFC in June but found himself in a title fight through circumstances. Pantoja has defeated each of the top two contenders at 125, Brandon Royval and Brandon Moreno, twice. No. 3 Amir Albazi lost to Royval on Nov. 2. Pantoja defeated No. 4 Kai Kara-France on The Ultimate Fighter.
He also defeated No. 6 Alex Perez, No. 8 Steve Erceg and No. 9 Manel Kape.
Asakura was highly regarded in Rizin and held its bantamweight championship when he signed with the UFC. Japan is a huge market for the UFC and so the decision was made to give Asakura a title shot in his first bout.
Pantoja didn't get a title shot until the 13th fight of his UFC career, by which point he'd won Performance of the Night bonuses as well as a Fight of the Night. It was also his 31st professional bout, which doesn't include three matches during The Ultimate Fighter.
He didn't complain about Askaura skipping the line. He didn't talk about how long he had to wait. He essentially said, If this is who I have to face to defend my title, let's do it.
He conceded it was unusual, but said, "I accept it." And he pointed out there was no logical challenger at that stage.
"The timing of this makes it correct, you know?" Pantoja said. "The No. 1 guy [Royval], I beat him two times, in a period of three fights. The No. 2 guy [Moreno], two over him, as well. Look at the division. I think this makes sense."
There has never been a UFC champion from Japan, and Asakura is highly popular. As of Tuesday, the UFC 310 countdown show had 514,000 views on the UFC's YouTube channel. It has 441,000 views on the UFC Japan YouTube channel. Japan has a population of 124 million, while the U.S. has a population of 345 million.
Asakura's presence in the main event will bring more eyeballs to the fight, which Pantoja knows will only benefit him.
He's not one to complain. He lifted himself out of poverty once to become a champion and now with a win on Saturday, he'll have three defenses of his belt. That will tie him with lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira for the most defenses by an active UFC champion.
Clearly, Pantoja knows what he's doing and what he's doing works.
“Pantoja is the epitome of resilience,” UFC CEO Dana White. “He is gritty, tough as nails. Pantoja has a chin of steel and never been knocked out. Add to that his aggressive style, both standing and particularly his grappling, and he is hard not to like.”
Stephen R. Sylvanie/Imagn Images
UFC CEO Dana White (R) wraps the belt on flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja.
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