Alexandre Pantoja earned a hero's welcome, and that's exactly what he got at his gym, American Top Team, Monday afternoon -- less than 48 hours after defeating Brandon Moreno -- and the scenes from inside were awesome!
It all went down at ATT in Coconut Creek, Florida -- one of the top MMA gyms in the world -- where the entire gym, including King Mo, Kayla Harrison, and Johnny Eblen gathered to celebrate Pantoja winning the flyweight title.
Pantoja traveled around the gym, belt over his shoulder, while fighters and coaches wished the first-time champ congratulations.
ICYMI ... the 33-year-old fighter's clash with Moreno was arguably the best fight of 2023 so far (it won Fight of the Night, too). The battle went the full 25 minutes, and Pantoja was ultimately declared the winner by split decision.
As expected after a 5-round war, Pantoja was a little beat up ... brandishing visible bruises on his face.
But we're guessing he doesn't feel a thing ... as the veteran fighter is now on top of the MMA world.
Congrats!