Alexandre Pantoja explains why he and Merab keep defending their titles

Tonight's UFC 323 lawsuit brings america caller appearances from 2 fighters who are presently among the astir active, and 1 could accidental the astir ascendant champions successful the UFC. Alexandre Pantoja has defended his flyweight rubric 4 times, portion contiguous helium volition beryllium hunting for a 5th defense. Experienced combatant from Georgia, Merab Dvalishvili, has defended his bantamweight loop 3 times truthful acold and heads the lawsuit successful a lucifer against Petar Jan seeking a 4th rubric defense.

Pantoja won the loop successful July 2023, and little than 2 years aboriginal helium has 4 palmy defenses to his credit. His warring benignant shows a willingness to combat anyone, anytime, anywhere, which fans are progressively appreciating. Georgian Dvalishvili is nary slouch; helium won the loop successful September past year, and has defended his rubric 3 times this year. Just 2 months ago, helium had a five-round combat against Cory Sandhagen. In the aboriginal hours of tonight, Merab has the accidental to go the archetypal combatant successful past to support his UFC rubric 4 times successful the aforesaid calendar year.

Hard training

Fighters seldom marque 4 appearances successful the aforesaid year, and defending a loop 4 times astatine the highest level against apical challengers is simply a peculiar achievement. During a property league up of UFC 323, Pantoja and Dvalishvili were asked wherefore they don't alteration value classes and wherefore they importune connected defending them. Pantoja explained:

"It's astir hard work. I deliberation Merab and I enactment truly hard for moments similar this. Some different champions mightiness person had these opportunities travel a batch easier. Merab and I had to enactment truly hard to get to this point. We don't privation this to extremity now, we privation to clasp connected to our belts, alteration our lives and the lives of our families. People speech a batch of crap astir the flyweight division, but I deliberation things are dilatory changing. Merab and I are changing things with our performances successful the cage."

"Today we spot a batch of champions who privation a 2nd loop close distant oregon who don't privation to combat for six months owed to immoderate insignificant injuries. If you telephone Merab and me, we're acceptable to combat 2 months later. After these matches, you tin telephone Merab and me, we'll beryllium acceptable again."

Merab extended his manus to him, saying:

"A batch of respect and emotion for you. I privation you a batch of luck."

The champions intelligibly person a batch of respect for each other, and a combat betwixt them is not thing that is successful the future. It's bully to spot that determination are inactive fighters who strive for regular appearances and aggregate loop defenses, and not conscionable a speedy determination to different category.