Aside from himself, former UFC flyweight Muhammad Mokaev has one name in mind when it comes to fighters capable of dethroning Alexandre Pantoja.
Pantoja has kept a firm grip on the gold since capturing it from Brandon Moreno in a brutal five-round battle during International Fight Week back in July 2023.
“The Cannibal” has since successfully defended the belt on three occasions, pushing past the challenges of Brandon Royval and Steve Erceg by way of the scorecards and most recently submitting newcomer Kai Asakura at UFC 310 last December.
With the undefeated Mokaev ousted from the UFC owing to apparent issues away from the cage, many have questioned if anyone on the current UFC flyweight roster has what it takes to beat Pantoja.
According to Mokaev, the answer is no. But away from the division’s current crop of contenders and prospects, “The Punisher” does see a threat…
“Right now I see only Kyoji Horiguchi making a problem for Pantoja,” Mokaev wrote on X. “The rest he will beat 2-3 times and more.”
In another post, Mokaev did admit that Kai Kara-France has a “chance,” but noted that the Kiwi standout already fell short against the champ during a season of The Ultimate Fighter back in 2016.
Kara-France is expected to challenge “The Cannibal” at UFC 316 in Newark this coming June.
Kyoji Horiguchi, meanwhile, hasn’t competed in the UFC in close to a decade. He’s since achieved two-division championship glory under the Rizin banner, as well as collecting Bellator’s bantamweight title.
The Japanese veteran most recently defended his Rizin flyweight belt against Nkazimulo Zulu last December, prior to which he opened the door to a possible UFC return and clash with Pantoja, his American Top Team stablemate.
