If Merab beats Cory and Pantoja beats Van, a superfight between champs would have never made more sense

[fortheo]

no, not worse. Pantoja's striking isn't all that, especially up a weight class.

Pantoja smacked moreno around like he was a child, and went tit for tat against guys like royval and kape on the feet. Merab is effective, but hasn't shown nearly as much striking as pantoja has. There's a reason why pantoja has 8 finishes via strikes and merab has only 3

 

[bobafett]

If they both win their fights, it makes more sense than just about any other champ vs champ matchup that they’ve made

 

[pick999]

And yet it will be the co main event sadly

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

Their last 2 fights happened within a month off each other and they didn't end up booked, so I doubt they will now. Pretty sure Pantoja isn't interested.

 

[benebox]

The typical responses of why fight because fighter A would win. So what, let him prove that in the cage and Pantoja have the chance at greatness.

 

[HeadKickerV2]

Pantoja is pound 4 pound more skilled than Merab, but size difference would allow Merab to manhandle and outwrestle Pantoja

It would not be as competitive as people think

 

[Steve Fox]

I would only feel bad if Mario Bautista beats Umar since that would make a 9-fight win streak. He definitely shouldn't have to win 10 fights to get a shot at the belt.

That kind of is more of the norm in the UFC than the opposite. If they aren't pushing you, you have to put on a streak until it is undeniable. It sucks but hey, it is what it is.

 

[Tweak896]

On paper it seems like a good matchup by resume alone, but Pantoja isn't exactly Aldo with TDD. From a competitive stance, I think Merab matches up better with Volk and stands a better chance winning that than Pantoja over Merab.

 

[JustOnce]

Pantoja smacked moreno around like he was a child, and went tit for tat against guys like royval and kape on the feet. Merab is effective, but hasn't shown nearly as much striking as pantoja has. There's a reason why pantoja has 8 finishes via strikes and merab has only 3

Pantoja won Moreno fight by wrestling. When you are that wild with spamming takedowns, you can land some like Merab can.

Merab will smack around Pantoja like a child.

 

[Goldentrophy]

The typical responses of why fight because fighter A would win. So what, let him prove that in the cage and Pantoja have the chance at greatness.

I'm surprised we still see comments like this. All the upsets throughout the years should eliminate this mindset.