Alexandre Pantoja has been with the UFC since 2017 but only found his way to the spotlight after he defeated Steve Erceg for his 2nd flyweight title defense. Even though he’s on a 6-fight winning spree and has become the flyweight champion, he’s yet to earn the respect that he deserves in a division that keeps getting written off. But a resurfaced video showing his post-fight interview from UFC 290 after he won the flyweight title has fight fans rallying behind him. Well, not everyone knows about his backstory.

Right after he defeated Brandon Moreno via a split decision at UFC 290, ‘The Cannibal’ evoked some tears from the audience with a message for his father. Talking to Joe Rogan, he said, “Last two years I worked so hard, I brought my family to the US. I start my camp at American Top Team. I leave everything I have. My mom [took] care of me and my two brothers alone. Now dad, you proud of me, dad? You proud of me?” In case you’re wondering what happened with his family, we’ve got you covered. 

Pantoja previously revealed that his father was an alcoholic. Under the influence, his father was very problematic at home. But little did the flyweight champ know that there’d come a day when his father would simply leave the family. Despite his father leaving ‘The Cannibal’ doesn’t really have any beef with his father, and even expressed that all he wanted was ‘the love of his father’ in an interview with Ariel Helwani. 

Alexandre Pantoja’s words on the microphone at UFC 290 found their way back into the center spot when ESPN MMA reshared the post-fight interview on Instagram. Needless to say, the fighting community took to the comments section and revealed their thoughts. Let’s see what the fight fans had to say.

Alexandre Pantoja reels in respect as his UFC 290 post-fight interview resurfaces on social media

Most fight fans disliked the way Pantoja got the win against the fan-favorite Brandon Moreno at UFC 290, leading to the Brazilian receiving quite a bit of hate from the fighting community. However, things have begun to change. One fan reflected on this and wrote, “This man is an absolute marauder who marches forward every second in the fight. He does NOT deserve the hate he has been getting lately.’ Some fans even believed that ‘The Cannibal’ should come up in the top 5 names of the pound-for-pound rankings. One fan commented, “Pantoja gets so much hate for no reason, he should be top 5 pfp.” Another fan, impressed with the interview, wrote, “Hardest post fight interview in recent memory. He is the real PFP.”

A few others pointed out that Pantoja was truly underrated. After all, he has three wins over former flyweight champion Moreno, and he had already faced the majority of the UFC, beating most of them. A fan commented, “Pantoja is one of the most underrated champions in the UFC… Bro almost wiped out the whole flyweight division.” Another fan weighed in on his fight at UFC 290 and commented, “This battle was personal for him, much respect.”

Some of the fans even branded Pantoja as a legend. No doubt, he had successfully inspired many with his interview. One fan wrote, “Legend man, taking those negatives into postives. You be proud of yourself mate, you are an inspiration to millions now.” Meanwhile, a few others began rooting for him as his fight against Kai Asakura at UFC 310 etched closer. A comment read, “Rooting for him next week.”

What do you think of Pantoja as a champion? Are you rooting for him at UFC 310? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.