UFC 323’s Alexandre Pantoja shuts down next champ vs. champ fight unless …

“Cannibal” vs. “Machine” isn’t happening — at least not any time soon.

After UFC 322 delivered two champion vs. champion matchups (with only one new champ crowned), attention quickly shifted to UFC Flyweight king Alexandre Pantoja. The 125-pound champion defends his title next weekend against rising contender Joshua Van at UFC 323, and if he gets past the surging 24-year-old, the division’s options are… limited. Beyond Tatsuro Taira and teammate Kyoji Horiguchi, the cupboard is getting bare.

Meanwhile, Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili — who headlines UFC 323 — is also running out of worthy opponents, sparking speculation about yet another super fight in early 2026: champ vs. champ, Dvalishvili vs. Pantoja.

But Pantoja has already shut down the idea.

“I think Merab is one of the best fighters in the world, you know, 100%. He’s the number three pound-for-pound, maybe number two,” Pantoja told TMZ Sports. “Merab is a tough opponent for everybody in his division….It’s not easy to think about going up 10 pounds and thinking you can finish someone like Merab, you know? When you talk about 10 pounds to my division, Flyweight to the Bantamweight, it’s a huge comparison…If you saw Weili Zhang versus Valentina Shevchenko, you can see the difference in size.”

It’s a fair comparison. Shevchenko dominated Zhang physically, and on the ground for all five rounds — and with Dvalishvili being one of the most suffocating wrestlers in the sport, Pantoja sees no upside in giving up size and strength.

But there is one scenario where he’d consider moving up (maybe because of this).

“If O’Malley got the belt, I’m going to say, ‘Hey, I’m ready to go.’ But with Merab, it’s different,” Pantoja said.

Since Sean O’Malley has already lost to Dvalishvili twice and is unlikely to sniff a title shot unless someone finally solves the Merab puzzle, Pantoja seems perfectly content staying at 125 pounds — and chasing Demetrious Johnson’s legendary record of 11 title defenses.