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Alexandre Pantoja notched the biggest win of his career when he faced and submitted Neil Seery at UFC Fight Night 113 in Glasgow, Scotland, last month.

Soon after the fight, though, news spread the Brazilian had stepped into the Octagon with an injured arm. So, why did Pantoja enter the cage being far from top fighting form? Money.

Had Pantoja not stepped into the cage that night in Scotland, there would've been no check to support his family.

"The tests done by the UFC are usually for doping, like blood and urine," Pantoja said. "I didn't do any physical exam. My arm injury is superficial. I had a ruptured ligament. No one besides me knew this and could say whether I could fight or not. I felt relatively good in training, but what forced me to fight even without being at 100 percent was a financial issue. I've got two children, and my family depends on me.

"I didn't tell the UFC about my injury, and I didn't think it was necessary. But as I said, I only knew if I could fight or not, and my only concern was to win. If I had spoken about my injury, it would've been viewed as an excuse. The injury was not even revealed by me, it was 'Minotauro' (Nogueira) who spoke about it. He himself said that he already did this type of treatment, and he managed to fight as well, which encouraged me."

The fact that Pantoja fought with an injury and still won boosted the Brazilian's confidence on his path toward the top of the flyweight division. With the victory against Seery in his rearview mirror, Pantoja is now listed at No. 13 in the division's official rankings.

"Fighting Seery close to his home, since he is from Ireland, was very good for me," Pantoja said. "It was good for my confidence and for my mentality to always stay focused. It did me a lot of good, and the type of fight and the opponent encouraged me even more. It certainly gives me even more energy to climb the ranks and get into the top 10. I will be more focused and will train even more.

"I don't rule out fighting anyone in my division. (Jussier) Formiga and Wilson Reis are great athletes, and I would like to face them and prove myself against them."

"The Cannibal" has a different goal he pursues when stepping into the cage, and it's that mentality that sets him apart from other top fighters in the division.

"The fight style of [some other fighters in the division] is not very appealing, and I think my style of fighting pleases the fans more," Pantoja said. "I try to put on a show. I like to fight, and I don't like to play a very strategic game. Of course, I always use a strategy, [but] I don't like to win by points and I don't go into the fight with the spirit of nullifying my opponent by avoiding him. I think this is what draws attention to me: my fighting style."