Flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja is eagerly anticipating the UFC 291 event, headlined by a rematch between his teammate Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje for the BMF title, despite no flyweight contenders present in the card, and expects a win for Poirier would be a victory for the American Top Team.
In Rio de Janeiro, even though there are no flyweight contenders set to compete at the UFC 291 being held in Salt Lake City, the UFC’s lightest champion, Alexandre Pantoja, expresses a high interest. Not being able to participate does not stop Pantoja from discussing key storylines for the event. The pay-per-view headliner, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje, are scheduled for the BMF title rematch. Pantoja considers the rematch a bracing move to keep momentum of the BMF train.
Pantoja showed deep admiration for Gaethje’s prowess during a visit to Brazil after winning the belt. He lauded Gaethje’s ability to absorb damage against Rafael Fiziev, adding that both Poirier and Gaethje have a wrestling background. However, he does not expect them to rely on takedowns at the UFC 291 because “they like to brawl.” Telling about his jiu-jitsu session with Poirier, Pantoja said, “I took his back, had him on a rear-naked choke, and he defended well, so that shows his expertise in jiu-jitsu. It’s going to be a beautiful rematch to watch.”
In continuation, Pantoja confidently states, “I’m with Dustin all day. This belt will come back to American Top Team. It’s still there at ATT, [Jorge] Masvidal left it there and I hope Dustin Poirier brings this baby back home”. The co-main event for the UFC 291 is Alex Pereira moving to a higher weight grade to face off against Jan Blachowicz. This will be his first bout since he lost the UFC middleweight belt to Israel Adesanya in April. He sees the rivalry with “The Last Stylebender” flaring up again soon, especially if Pereira triumphs over Blachowicz.
Pantoja expresses that ATT will again represent the main card with Marcos Rogerio de Lima challenging former title contender Derrick Lewis. As he conveys his expectations for this bout, Pantoja remarks, “He’s had a great camp and he’s strong, with his mind bulletproof, brother, so I’m positive he’ll win this fight.” He finds de Lima in excellent shape and doesn’t think the fight will go to the decision. He boldly predicts, “I think ‘Pezao’ knocks him out no problem.”