Alexandre Pantoja and coach Marcos da Matta watched the co-main event closely after Pantoja’s arm injury and belt loss to Joshua Van. Da Matta wanted Van to win to set up a rematch and said Van vs. Tatsuro Taira offered valuable study because both fighters showed strengths and weaknesses over nearly five rounds. Pantoja is reported to be fully recovered, but needs time for a championship camp before fighting again. Da Matta expects the rematch to occur around August or September, depending on UFC scheduling and Van. For the main event, he criticized claims that Chimaev lost solely due to a large weight cut, arguing Strickland’s late performance and the fight’s final minutes were decisive.
"“I particularly wanted Van to win because I really wanted this rematch,” explained to Sherdog. In the opinion of the American Top Team coach, Van vs. Tatsuro Taira provided excellent material for study. “We were able to see a lot in these almost five rounds,” the coach analyzed. “Both exposed themselves a lot, showing both strengths and weaknesses. I liked what I saw.”"
"Waiting in the wings, Pantoja is already fully recovered and is now just waiting for the UFC to schedule the rematch. “His arm is already 100%, but he still wouldn't be 100% to fight next week, for example. We need some time to do a championship camp, and I believe that fight will happen around August or September. Now it depends more on the UFC and Joshua Van than on Pantoja,” he stated."
"Speaking about the main event of UFC 328 between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland for the middleweight title, the ATT coach criticized those who are taking away the merits of the new champion. If the coach had one major favor that contributed to Chimaev losing, it would be his massive weight cut reportedly over 40 pounds. “People are practically saying that Chimaev lost because of the weight cut. Hold on,” da Matta exclaimed. “What about Strickland? There was a guy there who made Chimaev tired and, in my opinion, won that fight in the last two minutes of a 25-minute war.”"
Read at Sherdog
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