GLASGOW – Neil Seery seems resolute in his decision to retire, but his last opponent wouldn’t mind seeing him stick around.
Alexandre Pantoja (18-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) gave Seery (16-13 MMA, 3-4 UFC) a sour farewell on Sunday, ending their UFC Fight Night 113 encounter with a third-round submission. While it was his rear-naked choke that sealed the deal, Pantoja was quick to share the laurels of the flyweight battle with his tough opponent.
At 27, Pantoja can’t help but be impressed by the gritty three-round display of a veteran 10 years his senior. How impressed, you ask?
“This guy’s fighting perfectly,” Pantoja told reporters after the FS1-televised preliminary card scrap at SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. “Three rounds, perfect fight. He put everything in the cage, a war. (He’s) an amazing guy. I think he needs to continue fighting.”
That, at least according to Seery’s post-fight chat with reporters, doesn’t really seem to be in the books. For Pantoja, however, the future seems promising. After making it all the way to the semifinals of “The Ultimate Fighter 24,” the Brazilian flyweight has won his two UFC fights and is now riding an 11-fight streak.
Pantoja showed he’s not one for modest requests in January, when he suggested a meeting with two-time title contender Joseph Benavidez after his UFC-debut win – a split call over Eric Shelton at UFC on FOX 23. Now Pantoja says he wants to take it step-by-step. But he still thinks a top-five or top-10 opponent would suit him just fine.
In fact, he’ll even narrow that list down a bit. After beating Brandon Moreno, currently ranked No. 9 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA flyweight rankings, in the first episode of their “TUF 24” stint, Pantoja wouldn’t mind extending him the courtesy of a rematch.
“I’m looking at Brandon Moreno. He has a fight with (No. 8) Sergio Pettis (at UFC Fight Night 114, set for Aug. 5),” Pantoja said. “I don’t think I need to fight Moreno again, because I won. I think Moreno needs to fight me. But I’m going slow. I don’t think I need to go to the top title now, because I need more time. This fight was perfect for me.”
To hear more from Pantoja, check out the video above.
And for complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 113, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
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