Since his first day in the gym, Alexandre Pantoja’s coach knew that he would one day become a formidable competitor in the UFC, because of how hard he worked. Now, some 20 years later, the Cannibal is a UFC champion.
Alexandre Pantoja has come a long way in his MMA career. From a poor kid raised in Brazil, he worked his way to the UFC and had to be an Uber Eats driver as a contender just to provide for his family’s needs. But after winning the UFC flyweight championship, life has looked a little better for ‘The Cannibal’.
Pantoja’s perseverance and dedication were already there right from day one when he first trained at the Luis Alvez Training Center in Brazil. His first coach, Petterson Melo, was a known MMA teacher in Pantoja’s hometown of Arraial do Cabo. According to Melo, Pantoja was ‘pure bravery’ in the gym.
“The boy was pure bravery,” Melo recalled. “Since he arrived, you could already see in his eyes and in his attitude during training that he would go far. I saw in him the same [way] that I saw in Jose Aldo. Not by chance, we won everything here in Brazil, and through total merit and dedication, he is where he is today. I’m a big fan of him.”
RELATED: UFC 301: Alexandre Pantoja’s Homecoming Title Defence Against Steve Erceg
Alexandre Pantoja UFC Workout
Alexandre now trains in one of the best MMA gyms in the United States at the American Top Team. The gym houses some of the best names in the UFC, including Dustin Poirier. Prior to going to the American Top Team, Pantoja trained at The MMA Lab where he spent time with the likes of former double champion Henry Cejudo and current UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley.
Unlike other UFC fighters who detail their training workout in YouTube videos, Pantoja works out quietly at the ATT gym, although if you take a look at his Instagram page, you can see some snapshots of the kind of work that he does in the gym.
Currently, the Cannibal is at the peak of his training with his fight against No.10 ranked Steve Erceg coming up very soon. Pantoja is slated to defend the UFC flyweight belt against Erceg at the main event of UFC 301 on 4 May 2024 at the Farmassi Arena in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.