Fresh Off UFC 276 Win, Andre Muniz Eyes Multiple Top-10 Names at Middleweight

Fast-rising Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight Andre Muniz is not shying away from a challenge.

At UFC 276, Muniz (23-4) earned his fifth win in as many attempts in the UFC, deflating powerful striker Uriah Hall by a clear-cut unanimous decision. The victory elevated Muniz to the no. 10 spot in the UFC’s rankings, and the #13 position on Sherdog’s Official Rankings at 185 pounds as well. Muniz, who spoke to Sherdog on Wednesday, is already thinking about his next opponent and his return to the cage.

“That camp to face Uriah Hall was especially very long, almost five months of hard training,” Muniz admitted. “Hall unfortunately had a problem and it needed to be postponed, but thank God everything went out exactly how my team predicted. My foot is hurting after I kicked Uriah’s elbow, but I don’t think it's something serious, I’ve just got some exams this week and I’m waiting for the results to know exactly what happened. My plan is to be back in the academy next week and back in the Octagon around November”

When asked if he had a specific name in mind, the TFT fighter pointed to three different options, knowing that he might not get his first choice.

“Looking the agenda of the ranked above me all of them are busy, there are only three names available: Derek Brunson, who just has one fight left [on his] contract and we don’t know if he will keep doing MMA; [Jared] Cannonier, who just lost to the champion; and [Sean] Strickland who just lost to ‘Poatan’ [Alex Pereira],” Muniz analyzed. “Today I talked to my manager, Alex Davis, and after I get the foot exam ready I’ll tell him. My plan is to return around November.”

Paying close attention to the rest of his division, including the top of the ladder where champion Israel Adesanya is expected to take on former opponent Pereira for the belt, “Sergipano” expects nothing but the best from those fighters. Muniz predicts the clash will provide a striking chess match.

“I believe it’s going to be a clash of two kickboxing masters, but I have no doubt the champion is clearly bothered by the presence of ‘Poatan.’ And it got clear when Strickland recalled in the press conference that ‘Poatan’ beat him twice, and [Adesanya] got really mad. [With] such [great] kickboxing [skills] that both have, those mind tricks may be a factor in favor of ‘Poatan.’ If I had to bet, I would say ‘Poatan’ will knock out Adesanya once again,” the grappler concluded.