“Me and my family laughed so much,” Pantoja told MMA Fighting. “We enjoyed [the fight so much]. He make it look easy with a tough opponent, Tagir is a high-level fighter, but I expected a fight like that. Kyoji is one of the best in the gym. He’s pushed my level up. I have this belt right now because I have Kyoji Horguchi in the same room to train together. Amazing fighter, amazing teammate. “When Kyoji came to me and [told me he] went back to UFC and he wants to conquer the UFC belt, I [told] Kyoji, ‘If it’s your dream, I’m with you, brother. I want to help you get there.’” Pantoja said. “If we fight for the UFC belt, it’s going to be a privilege. … Of course, I have a huge fight Dec. 6. [Once I win] that fight, I want to make this fight happen with Kyoji Horiguchi. But first I need to [fight] Joshua Van.”