LAS VEGAS – Alexandre Pantoja hasn’t been champion for long, but thus far, nothing much has changed in his personal life.
At UFC 290 in July, Pantoja (26-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) defeated Brandon Moreno to notch the promotion’s flyweight title. With championship status comes bigger fights and bigger checks, but Pantoja wants to keep it humble.
“All the time when I go to sleep, I say, ‘Thank you, God, for everything you give to me to live this life and be able to go to the octagon and make all my friends and parents happy,’” Pantoja said. “That’s a lot for me. I live like a dream. I don’t like to say a dream too much because I like to live – day-by-day. I work a lot to live that. I feel very glad to be this person who everyone goes to the fight to watch and make everybody happy.”
Pantoja was born in Brazil and eventually moved to the United States to train. He competed on “The Ultimate Fighter 24” in 2016 and seven years later won UFC gold. Saturday, he attempts his first title defense vs. Brandon Royval (15-6 MMA, 5-2 UFC).
“I’m keeping my feet on the ground,” Pantoja said. “My wife is very tough. After this fight, maybe I need to go make things with my family – maybe a vacation together. I think that’s what people need to understand about my history.
“(I’m) a family guy, humble guy. You’re never going to see some bullsh*t about me. I don’t like trash-talking. If you pay to watch my fights, you don’t pay to watch my life. I’m not a reality show. I’m a fighter. I make sure every time I go to the octagon, I’m going to make a big show. I’m going to make sure I’m valuing all the coins.”
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Alexandre Pantoja aims to be model champion: ‘I’m not a reality show’