Alexandre Pantoja Feels ‘Very Sad’ for UFC 296 Opponent Brandon Royval

Alexandre Pantoja may have closed out his rivalry with Brandon Royval for good, but he claims there is no enmity there.

Pantoja (27-5) successfully defended his flyweight strap against Royval (15-7) via unanimous decision in a lopsided grappling-heavy affair at UFC 296 last weekend. This marked Pantoja’s second win over Royval after a submission in 2021, from which “Raw Dawg” bounced back with three consecutive wins to earn a shot at the title.

While Pantoja is happy to have defended his strap for the first time, he feels for Royval as he understands the profundity of a loss. In an appearance on "The MMA Hour," Pantoja said:

“He’s a very nice kid. He worked so hard to [get] to that moment. Maybe people think I’m [full of] s*** right now, but I’m very sad for Royval. He worked so hard for that moment. I know it’s not just about Royval, he has a lot of people on his side. I lost a couple times and when I lose, my family loses with me, my kids lose with me. It’s not just about one guy, it’s about all people together, trying to get a dream. It’s really hard to do that with someone, You break his heart, but that’s my sport. I love what I do. I love to fight. If Royval watches this, I want to say thank you to Royval. A lot of respect to him. He gave a wonderful fight and I love that guy.

“Maybe people will think I’m talking bulls---, but that’s how I feel,” he added. “It’s a very dangerous sport. He lost to me two years ago, he worked so hard, three victories, he was so prepared to fight with me again, but I have my history, I have my legacy to create.”

For his next fight, Pantoja will most likely face the winner of the upcoming clash between former champ Brandon Moreno and Iraqi contender Amir Albazi which goes down at UFC Mexico City on Feb. 24, though the winner of January’s tilt between former Rizin Fighting Federation champ Manel Kape and Matheus Nicolau may figure into the equation as well. While Pantoja is open to a fourth clash against Moreno, the idea of a new opponent also interests him. “The Cannibal” said:

“It’s going to be nice to see Albazi fight with someone like Moreno. Everyone talks a lot about how good Moreno is right now, and I want to see that. I want to see how good Moreno is now, and if he wants, we can make the fourth fight with me. It’s going to be awesome for me. And if Albazi wins, that’s great too. A different opponent, somebody with a different game.”