‘The Cannibals’ Consumption of ‘The Fearless’
Alexandre Pantoja will look to defend the Flyweight title against Joshua Van. Alexandre, or ‘The Cannibal’, does have more experience in the cage than Joshua, or ‘The Fearless’. This isn’t the only reason he is selected to win the fight. In terms of time in the ring, he finishes his opponents faster than ‘The Fearless’. These recent finishes have even come in the form of rear-naked chokes and unanimous decisions. Alexandre even profits from consistently avoiding incoming strikes, while Joshua is more susceptible to absorbing strikes in his early career. The groundwork that ‘The Cannibal’ executes on his opponents should be avoided on Joshua, though, as ‘The Fearless’ has superb takedown defense so far. Alexandre could feign a takedown, though, to throw off the less experienced fighter and execute accurate strikes to keep the fight predominantly standing. It would be unlikely for Joshua to attempt a takedown because he is not a versatile style fighter, with many of his wins coming from striking and unanimous decisions.
In all likelihood, Joshua could still resist ‘The Cannibal’s’ consumption by countering any groundwork if the fight goes there. However, Joshua lands twice as many strikes per minute as Alexandre. This is impressive, too, given that both fighters are almost even when comparing the accuracy of their strikes. The reach Joshua does have does not reach as well as Alexandre's, putting ‘The Fearless’ at a disadvantage. He can use this as motivation to close the distance and work strong body punches and precise strikes to the face. This fight will test him and make him stronger regardless of the outcome. If he does secure the win, it’ll be quite an upset, as demonstrated in this passing season within the UFC.
Joshua’s biggest challenge will be surviving the first two rounds while avoiding any strikes that could knock his footing off for a takedown. No doubt Alexandre is looking for that opportunity too. Hopefully, Joshua’s defense will hold, though, and the onslaught of strikes he lands will find a home. If they don’t, then Alexandre will use the wasted efforts to overtake him in the later rounds. Overall, the title fight will be widely regarded as giving a younger fighter the chance of a lifetime at a pivotal moment where destiny and history are held in the jaws of ‘The Cannibal’!
