On Saturday, UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja further established his reputation by convincingly defeating Kai Kara-France with a rear-naked choke submission in Round 3 during the UFC 317 co-main event held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. This victory not only marked Pantoja’s fourth successful defense of the title but also secured his spot as the record holder for the most wins (14), finishes (8), and submissions (6) in the flyweight category.

Pantoja’s dominance began early as he pressured Kara-France with aggressive strikes, quickly leading to a takedown mid-round. After smoothly maneuvering into the rear-naked choke, he tightly secured the submission, showcasing his grappling skills.

Pantoja expressed his desire for recognition, stating, “I am always training for this position but I still am evolving. That’s my fourth title defense, I think I deserve a better ranking in the pound-for-pound.” Following his win, he eyed Joshua Van for a potential matchup, who had delivered an impressive win earlier that night against Brandon Royval.

Van remarked, "[Pantoja] is a great champion but he ain’t never fought Joshua Van."