Rivalries: Pedro Munhoz

The changing tides of the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division have begun to encroach upon Pedro Munhoz’s shoreline.

“The Young Punisher” will seek his first win in more than a year when he locks horns with Sean O'Malley in a UFC 276 bantamweight feature on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Munhoz climbs into the Octagon on the heels of back-to-back losses, his position as a Top 10 contender having grown precarious. The 35-year-old Brazilian last appeared at UFC 269, where he wound up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision against Dominick Cruz in their three-round confrontation on Dec. 11.

As Munhoz approaches his all-important showdown with O’Malley, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped shape his career to this point:

Raphael Assuncao

The Brazilian staked his claim as a potential No. 1 contender at 135 pounds with a unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Munhoz in their UFC 170 prelim on Feb. 22, 2014 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges struck 30-27 scorecards. A short-notice replacement for the injured Francisco Rivera, Munhoz held his own in his Octagon debut. However, the former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion found himself outgunned in the standup department against a far more polished and seasoned adversary. Assuncao mixed in takedowns and whacked him with accurate punching combinations throughout the 15-minute encounter, his handiwork resulting in visible damage to Munhoz’s left eye and a 100-33 advantage in the significant strikes landed department.

Rob Font

Munhoz submitted the former CES MMA titleholder with a guillotine choke in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 119 bantamweight showcase on Oct. 28, 2017 at Geraldo Jose de Almeida Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Font, who had never before been finished, conceded defeat 4:03 into Round 1. The promising bantamweights exchanged on the feet from the start, Munhoz targeting the lower leg with kicks while Font responded with a stabbing jab and crisp punching combinations. Late in the first round, Munhoz rang the Massachusetts native’s bell with a left hook. A dazed and desperate Font shot for an ill-advised takedown and was met with a sprawl, his situation growing worse by the second. Munhoz then locked in a one-arm guillotine choke, rolled to mount and posted his left hand on the canvas to maximize his squeeze. The tapout came quickly.

Aljamain Sterling

The Serra-Longo Fight Team star subdued Munhoz with volume and creativity, as he cruised to a unanimous decision in their UFC 238 undercard pairing on June 8, 2019 at the United Center in Chicago. All three judges scored it 30-27. Munhoz had no answer for the athleticism and hand speed his opponent brought to the table. Sterling fired a variety of kicks and punches from a variety of angles, steered clear of danger and escaped the American Top Team rep’s vaunted guillotine on two separate occasions. Munhoz enjoyed some success with a series of calf kicks but too often found himself beaten to the punch. Sterling connected with a career-best 174 significant strikes in the 15-minute affair.

Frankie Edgar

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight titleholder and featherweight contender put down roots at 135 pounds when he eked out a contentious split decision over Munhoz in the UFC on ESPN 15 headliner on Aug. 22, 2020 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Judges Derek Cleary and Eric Colon scored it 48-47 for Edgar, while Sal D’Amato saw it 49-46 for Munhoz. “The Answer” adapted well to his new surroundings. Edgar circled on the perimeter, punched effectively in combination and accounted for the only two completed takedowns of the 25-minute encounter. However, Munhoz landed the more telling blows and did so with greater efficiency, particularly in the third, fourth and fifth rounds. Still, his merciless pressure, jackhammer jab and damaging leg kicks could neither distance him enough from Edgar nor prevent his second consecutive defeat.

Jimmie Rivera

Munhoz avenged a 2015 defeat to the former Cage Fury Fighting Championships, King of the Cage and Ring of Combat titleholder in their UFC Fight Night 186 rematch on Feb. 27, 2021 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. Calf kicks were the difference. Munhoz targeted the lower leg with a fervent ferocity, compromising his opponent’s base inside the first five minutes and forcing him to rethink his approach. Rivera—who had taken a split decision from Munhoz in November 2015—cut loose with power punching combinations to the head and body but failed to move his lower extremities out of harm’s way, paying a steep price with each kick he absorbed. He switched stances late in the bout, but by then, the deficit was too great to overcome.