Alexandre Pantoja's coach reveals that the team was surprised in the fight at UFC 317

Alexandre pantoja celebrates fourth defense of the UFC flyweight belt. Photo: Reproduction X/UFC

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In the co-main fight of UFC 317, Alexandre pantoja showed that he is one of the most dominant champions in the Ultimate today. The Brazilian didn't give a chance all with Kai Kara France, dominated the New Zealander and won by submission with a rear naked choke in a performance that impressed even his coach Marcos Parrumpa.

In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Parrumpinha acknowledged that he did not expect such an easy victory. Alexandre pantoja about Kai Kara France. For the coach, the Brazilian's superiority was evident in the first 20 seconds, when Pantoja quickly gained a dominant position behind his opponent.

"To be honest with you, I didn't think it would be this easy. I expected a better opponent, you know? And by the time we'd gotten to him, I think about 20 seconds into the fight, he was already on my back. I thought, 'Man, this is going well.' We weren't expecting that much," said Marcos Parrumpa.

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Despite Kai's provocations before the fight, the flyweight champion showed he was on another level. According to Parrumpa, the New Zealander's talk about having the best takedown defense in the division was pure marketing. Pantoja not only landed takedowns with ease but also maintained complete control on the ground. For the coach, the Brazilian outclassed his rival in every aspect, emerging virtually untouched throughout the fight.

"And he (Pantoja) beat Kai not only in grappling, even though he said, 'Oh, I have the best takedown defense in the division, I'm stronger, he's going to make a mistake.' All of that was just hype, because I knew Pantoja would be able to take him down and keep him down, because the first fight was very close, and Pantoja had, I think, eight or nine days to prepare... But not only that, Pantoja was much better than Kai in every aspect. I don't think he even took a punch to the face," the coach continued.

Parrumpinha points out Pantoja's devaluation and the UFC flyweight division

The coach emphasized that the performance was further proof of how Pantoja continues to be underestimated within the flyweight division. In Parrumpa's view, few current champions can compare to the Brazilian in terms of achievements and performance. Still, he lamented that the 57kg category continues to be constantly undervalued by the public and the specialized media.

"It was a great statement about how underrated he was as a champion. And I think now people are starting to realize that there are maybe only three guys better than him as champions: Ilia, Islam, and Merab. And we don't even know if these guys have the same accomplishments as Pantoja. But the 57kg division is very underrated," concluded the coach. Alexandre pantoja.

Pantoja cements reign with four title defenses

Parrumpinha and the flyweight champion (up to 56,7kg.) Alexandre pantoja. Photo: Reproduction Instagram/parrumpaatt

Hired by UFC since 2017, Alexandre pantoja reached the top of the flyweight division in 2023, by defeating Brandon Moreno by split decision. Since then, the Brazilian has cemented his reign with four successful title defenses, overcoming Brandon royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura e Kai Kara France.