Alexandre Pantoja

"The Cannibal". That's what they call Alexandre Pantoja, and is ranked #1 at UFC flyweight — close enough to smell the title, dangerous enough that champions don't say his name too loudly.

The game is built on grappling: 2.8 takedowns per 15 minutes, and opponents spend rounds defending instead of fighting. 12 submission wins say what happens when the defense slips.

He's coming off a loss to Joshua Van. Careers aren't defined by the fall, though; they're defined by the rebound.

At 36, the window is what it is — which tends to make every remaining fight more honest, and more dangerous.