Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar is set to make his bantamweight debut against Pedro Munhoz on July 11.
[autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag]’s 135-pound debut is set.
Former UFC lightweight champion Edgar (23-8-1 MMA, 17-8-1 UFC) will face [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) on July 11 at a to-be-determined UFC event. Edgar confirmed the matchup on his social media after an initial report from MMA Fighting.
Initially scheduled to move down to bantamweight on Jan. 25 against Cory Sandhagen, Edgar delayed his debut in the division when he opted to step in on short notice to face Chan Sung Jung last December in a featherweight contest. He lost the fight via first-round stoppage for his second straight loss.
Meanwhile, Munhoz saw his three-fight winning streak snapped at the hands of Aljamain Sterling last June at UFC 238. Prior to that, he scored arguably the biggest win of his career, when he knocked out former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt in the first round.
Pedro Munhoz says contrary to the hype that no one wants to fight Petr Yan, he’s been asking for the bout for months.
[autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag] has no problem taking on the biggest challenges in the bantamweight division.
The Brazilian fighter has been eagerly waiting for a fight and he’s looking to return early 2020, preferably against a man many consider to be the toughest division matchup outside of the champ Henry Cejudo. Munhoz (18-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) would love to take on Peter Yan – a 26-year-old Russian fighter who’s unbeaten in the UFC and is coming off a knockout win over former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber at UFC 245.
It’s believed that few want to take on Yan, and understandably so, but Munhoz pushes back against that idea.
“I heard some interviews with Urijah Faber saying nobody wants to fight Petr Yan, but I have text right here to Sean Shelby (UFC matchmaker) back-and-forth and for the last six seven months I’ve been asking for that fight,” Munhoz told MMA Junkie.
“The idea that nobody in the division wants to fight him, that’s not true. I have the facts here that I’ve been asking for the fight for the last six months, and not because I think it’s going to be an easy or anything.
“I’m here in the UFC wanting a top-five opponent. I’m number six right now and I never picked fights. I want fights that are going to give me a challenge like Cody Garbrandt and many other fighters, those are the kind of fights I like to do. And if the guy wants to knock me out and finish me, that’s what I like because I like to push my limits. I’m not going to run so we’re going to fight and that’s my idea. I go there to kill or be killed.”
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Munhoz last fought in June where he suffered a decision loss to Aljamain Sterling, but prior to that the American Top Team product was on a three-fight win streak and 7-1 in his last eight bouts. In his fight prior to the Sterling loss, Munhoz knocked out former UFC bantamweight champion Garbrandt.
Yan is a dangerous matchup for anyone at bantamweight and Munhoz knows it. That’s why he wants to fight the Russian.
“I know his capability, I know he’s tough, I have nothing against him, but I want to challenge myself with the best fighters,” Munhoz explained. “I think the best fighter in that division is him. I head in some interviews that people were avoiding him, but I have the facts right here on my phone that I have been asking for the fight for the last six, seven months. Just tell me the date, just tell me the time, we can do that in the U.S.”
UFC bantamweight contender Pedro Munhoz shares his thoughts on Henry Cejudo relinquishing the UFC flyweight title.
[autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag] is, in many ways, happy that [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] is no longer UFC flyweight champion.
The Olympic gold medalist gave up his 125-pound UFC title on Thursday night to now only hold the UFC bantamweight belt. Cejudo, one of just four dual champions in UFC history, has been on the sidelines recovering from shoulder surgery. He last fought in June where he won the vacant bantamweight title, defeating Marlon Moraes. It’s been almost a year since Cejudo defended the flyweight belt.
Munhoz (18-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC), who’s a top contender in the bantamweight division, sees the benefits of Cejudo dropping the flyweight title.
“I understand we get hurt, and things happen, but being hurt he’s holding two belts,” Munhoz told MMA Junkie. “I understand he’s hurt, there’s nothing we can do about it, but I’m glad they made that decision (to relinquish) and let the flyweights do their thing.”
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No doubt Cejudo (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) leaving the division is good for the fighters competing at 125 pounds, as the belt is once again back in business. It can also be seen as a good thing for the guys at 135 pounds since the champion now only has an obligation to one weight class.
But despite the news, things can still be hazy for contenders at bantamweight since Cejudo’s callouts don’t exactly align with the UFC rankings. Munhoz is well aware of what’s going on at the top of his division.
He also feels for his friend, Jussier Formiga, who was on a four-fight winning streak that included a win over Deiveson Figueiredo – the man fighting Joseph Benavidez for the vacant flyweight title – before having it come to an end in June against Benavidez himself.
“Cejudo is the bantamweight champion, and it looks like he wants to fight Jose Aldo,” Munhoz said. “And that’s the reason why I called out Jose Aldo, because it made no sense him being No. 9 in the rankings and then fighting for the title after losing his most recent fight (against Marlon Moraes at UFC 245), so you know, it’s something that’s part of the politics that I’m not aware of.
“So yeah, I actually heard the news from somebody this morning, and I was like, ‘Yeah that’s good.’ But one thing that kind of sucked was that Formiga – my teammate – beat Deiveson Figueiredo, the guy who’s fighting Joseph Benavidez for the title. But yeah, I’m excited to see the new faces (at flyweight) and show they’re capable.”
Munhoz last fought in June when he suffered a decision loss to Aljamain Sterling. Prior to that, he was on a three-fight winning streak capped off by a big knockout win over former champion Cody Garbrandt. Munhoz eyes a return sometime for early 2020 and wants a top-five opponent.
See who Colby Covington, Max Holloway and Germaine de Randamie should fight next after their title-fight losses at UFC 245.
After every event, fans wonder whom the losing fighters will be matched up with next.
With another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 245’s most notable fighters.
Those fighters include [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who felt short of the welterweight title in a fifth-round TKO loss to Kamaru Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) in the main event, [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 17-5 UFC), who dropped his featherweight belt in the co-main event, as well as [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC), [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) and [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag] (35-11 MMA, 11-7 UFC).
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Urijah Faber
Should fight: [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]
Rob Font
Why they should fight: Faber wanted to see where he belonged in the UFC bantamweight division, and in the roughest of ways, he found out in a brutal third-round knockout loss to Petr Yan.
The UFC Hall of Famer, who came out of retirement in June, said he wanted the biggest test available. That’s because if he passed, a title shot would be on the horizon. Yan showed Faber those aspirations might be too lofty, though, and now the 40-year-old has a decision to make.
Faber got a sweet new contract ahead of the booking against Yan, and now that he’s finally making the money he wants to fight, it’s hard to walk away. That’s why another retirement feels unlikely right now.
If Faber continues to fight, he will do what he always does: Take a top name at 135 pounds. It shouldn’t be someone quite on Yan’s level, but a name like Font (17-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC), who is coming off a “Fight of the Night” win over Ricky Simon at UFC on ESPN 7 this month, would be a good fit for “The California Kid” if he insists on continuing to compete.
Jose Aldo
Should fight: [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]
Pedro Munhoz
Why they should fight: Although the decision was debatable, Aldo’s bantamweight debut will go down as a loss after his narrow split decision defeat to Marlon Moraes.
There was plenty of criticism about Aldo’s drop to 135 pounds, including from yours truly, but he did not look out of place once inside the octagon. The weight cut didn’t look good from an outside perspective, but Aldo says differently, so we’ll have to take his word for it.
Getting to that weight took sacrifice, though, and if Aldo wants to put himself through that again, there’s a lot of fresh and interesting matchups for him at 135 pounds. With all the potential contenders at bantamweight and flyweight, it’s laughable UFC president Dana White is considering Aldo for a matchup with dual-champ Henry Cejudo. And we’re going to proceed as if that illogical idea doesn’t materialize.
Aldo could very much belong in the title discussion, he just needs a single win. Fighting someone like Munhoz (18-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC), who may not be the biggest name but is very good and has a style that matches up well with Aldo, could be his opportunity to put on a statement performance.
Germaine de Randamie
Should fight: A top 10 bantamweight
Germaine de Randamie
Why they should fight: Much like the first fight against Amanda Nunes, the ground game of de Randamie was simply no match and ultimately was her downfall in a unanimous decision loss to the women’s bantamweight champion.
This title shot, quite honestly, felt like a gift opportunity to de Randamie. No one would’ve expected to fight for a UFC title again after she was stripped of the women’s featherweight strap in 2017. She got the chance because there was no more obvious contender, but could not overcome the dominant force that’s Nunes.
At this point it really doesn’t feel like de Randamie will fight for a title again, and at 35, she will have some decisions to make. There’s a good chance we don’t see de Randamie back anytime soon, as she’s been known for long layoffs. However, she likely has a couple more in her, and whatever the division looks like when she gets back, it’s sure “The Iron Lady” will get someone in the top 10 rankings.
Max Holloway
Should fight: [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]
Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Holloway should rematch Volkanovski (21-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) next after his title victory.
Colby Covington
Should fight: [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag]
Tyron Woodley
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Covington should fight Woodley (19-4-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC) next.
