Alexandre Pantoja has successfully defended his UFC flyweight title in a closely contested duel against Brandon Royval at UFC 296. The main event has been headlined by Colby Covington and Leon Edwards’ fight for the Welterweight title. However, while the co-main event of Pantoja against Royval was a treat to watch, the fans aren’t too happy with the result.
In what was an extremely technical fight, both Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval gave it their all. Pantoja managed to defend the title that he won against Brandon Moreno on July 8, 2023, at UFC 290. The Brazilian fighter headed into tonight’s event in great form, winning eight out of his last ten bouts. Royval, however, proved to be a tough nut to crack for the reigning flyweight champion.
Pantoja won the bout via unanimous decision, with judge Eric Colon scoring 49-46. Judges Junichiro Kamijo and Ron McCarthy scored the match 50-45 in favor of the Brazilian. However, while it would be wrong to say that Pantoja was an undeserving winner, the fans consider the result to be too harsh against Rovyal. Several UFC fans were left unhappy about the result and shared their reactions on the Internet.
Fans express their disappointment in the judges after Alexandre Pantoja’s win over Brandon Royval
The UFC fans were quick to take to their social media platforms and express their disappointment with the scoring and the result of Alexandre Pantoja’s bout against Brandon Royval. One fan even went to the extent of writing, “50-45 is fu*king insane. 3 and 5 Royval bare minimum”. Some fans even felt that Pantoja’s duel against Royval has been the most uneventful fight at UFC 296 so far.
Several fans also praised Brandon Royval’s performance against the reigning Flyweight Champion. Moreover, some fans believed that the UFC should do away with the flyweight division for good. However, this isn’t the first time that the fans have wanted the UFC to remove the division. UFC president Dana White even considered getting rid of the 125-lbs division in 2018, but ultimately decided against it.
Alexandre Pantoja admits his “love” for Brandon Royval
Despite a grueling title fight, Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval displayed a great deal of sportsmanship after the bout. Before the 33-year-old fighter celebrated his title defense with his team, Pantoja went to Royval to shake hands. He also admitted that Royval proved to be a tough opponent in the post-match interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan.
Pantoja on how the fight went with Brandon Royval in their rematch #UFC296 pic.twitter.com/iFrc8fN9Bt
— UFC (@ufc) December 17, 2023
Pantoja even admitted that he felt dizzy after the fight that went on for all five rounds. He said, “I love that kid (Royval). He grew (sic) up.” It was an opportunity of redemption for Brandon Royval, having previously lost to Pantoja a couple of years ago at UFC Vegas 34. However, the 31-year-old American fighter failed to capitalize on his golden chance in which he could have managed to even win the UFC Flyweight Championship.