LOS ANGELES – If you were taken aback by the trash talk on display from flyweight champion Joshua Van during last month's UFC 331 press conference in Philadelphia, you weren't alone. So was Alexandre Pantoja.
When Van, 24, got unexpectedly mouthy that night, the gut reaction from Pantoja, 36, was to teach him a lesson the way he would one of his kids.
"When I got up, I tried to give him some education," Pantoja told reporters, including MMA Junkie, on Wednesday at UFC 331 media day. "I'm from the '90s. In that time, if you don't respect your mother and your father, they're gonna slap you. I thought about that, but Dana White stopped me."
Pantoja gets his chance to teach Van a lesson Saturday at UFC 331 (Paramount+) from Crypto.com Arena, where
the two will meet in the night's main event. Van vs. Pantoja is a rematch of their December title fight in which Van claimed the 125-pound crown in fluke fashion after Pantoja suffered a serious arm injury just 26 seconds into the fight.
Van has since defended the belt this past May in the Fight of the Night at UFC 328. Pantoja has been patiently waiting to return.
"It's been a long 10 months," Pantoja said.
Pantoja said the time off wasn't all bad as it allowed him to enjoy being with his family and kids while he mixed in training. But he also made this one thing clear: "I'm very hungry to conquer one more time," he said.
If victorious, Pantoja would join Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo as the third flyweight to regain the belt for a second title reign. While that sounds like elite company to be joining, he's heading into UFC 331 keeping things in perspective.
"My whole life, I've just focused on myself," Pantoja said. "I don't look at any numbers about Demetrious Johnson, Deiveson Figueiredo is a very good fighter, Moreno, too, but that's my life. It's gonna be like the first time. Every time I win this belt, me and my team know we want to conquer one more time. You just have the chance to be the champion of the world this one night. You celebrate Sunday, and Monday you're back in the gym training again to try to be the best fighter in the world again, to show everybody I'm the champ of the world. I've had this chance.
"I think what's changed more for me right now is I'm not fighting the challenger Joshua Van. I'm fighting the champion Joshua Van. This sounds much better for me right now, because I fight my whole life to face the best in the world, and Saturday night I have this chance to beat the champion of the world."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Alexandre Pantoja returns at UFC 331 'very hungry to conquer one more time' as champion
