Minutes after his UFC 317 win over Kai Kara-France, Pantoja (30-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) was quite literally faced with his next opponent. Into the cage at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas walked Joshua Van, who defeated Brandon Royval in a thrilling title eliminator just one fight prior.

Alexandre Pantoja had issued a fiery statement regarding his pound-for-pound ranking after defending his title for a fourth time at UFC 317. 'The Cannibal' has a tough act to follow, becoming the second-greatest flyweight UFC fighter of all time,

Alexandre Pantoja put on an absolutely dominant showcase before tapping out Kai Kara-France in the third round to defend his flyweight title in the UFC 317 co-main event. The flyweight champion was better on the feet and on the ground but it was his world class Brazilian jiu-jitsu that got the job done after he dragged Kara-France to the canvas and applied a nasty rear-naked choke to secure the submission win.