Pedro Munhoz – Page 3 – Syndication Server

Marlon Vera set to fight Pedro Munhoz at UFC 292 after Henry Cejudo withdrawal

“Chito” Vera gets to keep his date in Boston after Henry Cejudo withdrew. He now faces Pedro Munhoz at UFC 292.

The UFC’s Boston bantamweight party is still looking strong as a replacement opponent for [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] has been found.

At UFC 292, “Chito” Vera will now face [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag], after his original opponent, former two-division UFC champ Henry Cejudo, pulled out of the fight due to injury. Vera’s management, Iridium Sports Agency announced the signing of the bout Friday.

The event which takes place at TD Garden in Boston, already has a few other key matchups, including the headliner which is a title fight in the division between champ Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley.

Along with Munhoz (20-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) vs. Vera (22-8-1 MMA, 14-7 UFC) at bantamweight will be Rob Font vs. Song Yadong and Cody Garbrandt vs. Mario Bautista.

Munhoz, 36, will enter on the heels of a unanimous decision win over Chris Gutierrez at UFC on ESPN 44 in April. He will look to keep the momentum going after the win ended a rough stretch of results that included a pair of losses to former champions Jose Aldo and Dominick Cruz, and a no contest against Sean O’Malley due to an eye poke.

Vera, 30, saw a four-fight winning streak come to an end in his previous outing, a split decision loss to Cory Sandhagen at UFC on ESPN 43. Prior to the setback, he defeated Davey Grant, Frankie Edgar, Rob Font, and Dominick Cruz.

With the addition, the UFC 292 lineup now includes:

Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley
Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos
Rob Font vs. Song Yadong
Pedro Munhoz vs. Marlon Vera
Brad Tavares vs. Chris Weidman
Mario Bautista vs. Cody Garbrandt
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Andre Petroski
Maryna Moroz vs. Karine Silva
Ian Machado Garry vs. Geoff Neal
Andrea Lee vs. Natalia Silva

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

UFC on ESPN 44 medical suspensions: Three fighters get 60 days after KO losses

The Missouri commission issued medical suspensions after UFC on ESPN 44, the longest of which went to fighters who were knocked out.

Three fighters face 60-day medical suspensions as a result of stoppage losses by strikes at UFC on ESPN 44.

The event took place this past Saturday at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. The event was overseen by the Missouri Division of Professional Regulation, which suspended 13 of 28 fighters from the card for medical reasons after their bouts, according to a list published Wednesday by the commission.

It’s important to note fighters can return sooner than the expiration date of their medical suspension should they receive proper medical clearance from a doctor. In addition, the commission does not list reasons for medical suspensions – just durations.

Scroll below to see the full list of UFC on ESPN 44 medical suspensions.

Pedro Munhoz feels validated by UFC on ESPN 44 win, confident he’s still ‘one of the best fighters in the division’

Beating Chris Gutierrez has Pedro Munhoz feeling good about himself coming out of UFC on ESPN 44.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag] badly needed Saturday’s win bad, but it wasn’t to show the UFC brass or the fan base that he’s still got it. He wanted to prove to himself that he is who he thinks he is.

Munhoz (20-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) defeated rising contender [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] in a unanimous decision on the main card of UFC on ESPN 44, which took place at T-Mobile Center. The victory was Munhoz’s first in two years, as he was coming off a no contest against Sean O’Malley and prior to that had decision losses to Dominick Cruz and Jose Aldo.

“One hundred percent (I proved to myself), and that’s the only person that I want to prove something to, myself,” Munhoz told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the UFC on ESPN 44 post-fight news conference. “Not for the crowd. I respect them, and I like the crowd, but at the end of the day, the battle is between myself. So yeah, it was a good victory.”

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Despite being late into his career, the Brazilian believes his win over Gutierrez (19-4-2 MMA, 7-2-1 UFC) proves he’s still among the best in the world. And beyond that, Munhoz feels he’s just getting better.

“Even though I’m 36, going to be 37, this year, I’m a veteran, I realized that I have been improving a lot every single fight,” Munhoz said. “A lot of the fighters they kind of get stuck, but at the bantamweight division, it’s such a competitive division that it requires us to always be developing and getting better.

“American Top Team, it’s a place that I improve every day. We have the best coaches, the best training partners, and that’s the reason why I’m still here nine years later competing for the UFC. I’m still competing with the best fighters in the world, and tonight I proved to myself that I’m one of the best fighters in the division.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 44.

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UFC on ESPN 44 post-event facts: Max Holloway joins 20-win club, sets other records

Check out the numbers from UFC on ESPN 44, where Max Holloway hit more milestones – including being the first to land 3,000 octagon strikes.

The UFC returned to Missouri after six years Saturday at UFC on ESPN 44, and the card delivered with half the fights ending by stoppage.

One of the bouts to go the distance was the main event, where former champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (24-7 MMA, 20-7 UFC) once again displayed his greatness in ending the winning streak of [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] (19-2 MMA, 10-1 UFC) with a unanimous decision. In the process, “Blessed” made more history to add to his one-of-a-kind octagon resume.

For more on the numbers to come out of the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 44.

UFC on ESPN 44 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Four fighters get max non-title payout

UFC on ESPN 44 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 44 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $254,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 44 took place at T-Mobile Center. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 44 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Azamat Murzakanov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dustin Jacoby[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]T.J. Brown[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Matheus Nicolau[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Zak Cummings[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ed Herman[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Piera Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Daniel Zellhuber[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Denise Gomes[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bruna Brasil[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Gaston Bolanos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Aaron Phillips[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Joselyne Edwards[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Lucie Pudilova[/autotag]: $6,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $44,000 while title challengers get $44,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-44 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

“UFC on ESPN 44: Holloway vs. Allen” – $254,500
“UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2” – $274,500
“UFC on ESPN 43: Vera vs. Sandhagen” – $137,000
“UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3” – $266,500
“UFC Fight Night 221: Yan vs. Dvalishvili” – $194,000
“UFC 285: Jones vs. Gane” – $282,500
“UFC Fight Night 220: Muniz vs. Allen” – $126,000
“UFC Fight Night 219: Andrade vs. Blanchfield” – $158,000
“UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski” – $263,000
“UFC Fight Night 218: Lewis vs. Spivac” – $136,000
“UFC 283: Teixeira vs. Hill” – $359,500
“UFC Fight Night 217: Strickland vs. Imavov” – $137,000

Year-to-date total: $2,230,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $16,819,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 44.

UFC on ESPN 44 predictions: Who’s taking Arnold Allen over ex-champ Max Holloway in mighty K.C.?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN 44 main card in Kansas City, Mo., featuring Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen.

	Holloway vs. Allen	Barboza vs. Quarantillo	Jacoby vs. Murzakanov	Boser vs. Cutelaba	Gutierrez vs. Munhoz	Garcia vs. Guida
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 45-33	Holloway (62%)	Quarantillo (54%)	Jacoby (53%)	Boser (63%)	Gutierrez (71%)	Garcia (53%)
Nolan King @mma_kings 48-30	Holloway	Quarantillo	Murzakanov	Boser	Gutierrez	Guida
Matt Erickson @MattE 48-30	Allen	Barboza	Murzakanov	Boser	Gutierrez	Garcia
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 48-30	Holloway	Barboza	Murzakanov	Boser	Gutierrez	Guida
Simon Samano @SJSamano 47-31	Holloway	Barboza	Murzakanov	Boser	Gutierrez	Garcia
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 45-33	Holloway	Quarantillo	Murzakanov	Boser	Gutierrez	Garcia
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 44-34	Holloway	Quarantillo	Murzakanov	Boser	Gutierrez	Guida
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 44-34 2018, 2022 Champion	Allen	Quarantillo	Murzakanov	Cutelaba	Gutierrez	Guida
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 44-34	Holloway	Barboza	Murzakanov	Cutelaba	Gutierrez	Guida
Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 43-35 2014 Champion	Holloway	Barboza	Murzakanov	Boser	Gutierrez	Guida
Brian Garcia @thegoze 43-35 2017 Champion	Holloway	Quarantillo	Jacoby	Boser	Gutierrez	Guida
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 41-37	Holloway	Barboza	Murzakanov	Boser	Gutierrez	Garcia

Five years after its first visit, the UFCc is back in an historic Midwest city this week with a former featherweight champion on the top of the card.

UFC on ESPN 44 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, former featherweight champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC) takes on England’s [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC), who is unbeaten in the UFC. Holloway is nearly a 2-1 favorite at the betting window, and our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have him in a rout at 9-2.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] (22-11 MMA, 16-11 UFC) meets [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in another potential featherweight banger. Quarantillo is a -175 favorite, but it’s elite striker Barboza who has the slimmest possible edge in the picks at 6-5.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Dustin Jacoby[/autotag] (18-6-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) fights [autotag]Azamat Murzakanov[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) at light heavyweight, and even though he’s a -165 favorite, it’s Murzakanov who has a near-shutout in the picks as an underdog at 10-1.

Another fight at 205 pounds sees [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] (20-9-1 MMA, 4-4 UFC) take on [autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag] (16-9-1 MMA, 5-8-1 UFC). Cutelaba is a slight favorite at -135, but Boser has a big 9-2 picks lead.

[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] (19-3-2 MMA, 7-1-1 UFC) is more than a 2-1 favorite against [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag] (19-7 MMA, 9-7 UFC) in their bantamweight bout, and he’s our lone unanimous pick from our staff members at 11-0.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) takes on longtime lightweight and UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag] (38-22 MMA, 18-16 UFC). Garcia is the biggest favorite on the entire card at -275, but the picks didn’t play out that way. Underdog Guida has a 7-4 lead from our pickers.

In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Holloway (62 percent), Quarantillo (54 percent), Jacoby (53 percent), Boser (63 percent), Gutierrez (71 percent), and Garcia (54 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 44.

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UFC on ESPN 44 pre-event facts: Will Arnold Allen crack Max Holloway’s historic chin?

Check out the numbers behind UFC on ESPN 44, where Max Holloway brings an insane durability record into his main event with Arnold Allen.

The UFC returns to Missouri for the first time in exactly five years on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 44, which takes place at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., with a main card that airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, the stakes don’t get much higher than the clash of featherweight contenders. Former longtime UFC champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC) looks to begin another run toward the belt when he takes on [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC), who is unbeaten inside the octagon thus far.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts from UFC on ESPN 44.

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UFC’s Pedro Munhoz: ‘It was shady’ how Sean O’Malley handled eye-poke fallout, but no hard feelings

Pedro Munhoz can see clearly that Sean O’Malley was being “shady” in the aftermath of their fight, but he’s not holding any grudges.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag] can see clearly that [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] was being “shady” in the aftermath of their fight, but he’s not holding any grudges.

Munhoz returns Saturday at UFC on ESPN 44 from T-Mobile Center, where he’ll take on Chris Gutierrez on the main card. It’s Munhoz’s first action in nine months, when an inadvertent eye poke from O’Malley ended their UFC 276 bantamweight bout in a no contest in Round 2.

On Wednesday at UFC on ESPN 44 media day, Munhoz opened up about his recovery and the backlash he received on social media for not finishing the fight despite the fact he couldn’t see out of one eye.

“It took me completely two months to be able to train a hundred percent again,” Munhoz told reporters, including MMA Junkie. “It was kind of an injury that, it doesn’t seem too aggravating for the people outside, but you being there and literally not being able to see is something (to worry about). …

“I’ve been in this sport a long time and fought many people, but that was definitely the first time that I got so much hate on social media.”

Part of that hate from fight fans was fueled by O’Malley, who said during his post-fight news conference that Munhoz “100 percent” was looking for a way out. According to Munhoz, O’Malley had a different attitude about the situation when they spoke inside the octagon after the fight.

“I don’t know him on a personal level, but it says a lot when a person apologizes to you in the octagon for poking you in the eye – so it was something he was aware of – but then on the other hand he goes and makes fun of the situation,” Munhoz said. “I come from a generation of the sport where we fight for the honor and not much for the crowd, not much for that situation that you make fun of people, even though that he’s aware he hurt me, and goes behind to make fun just to get followers. It was shady.”

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While Munhoz doesn’t appreciate the way things played out, he’s mostly taking the high road on the situation.

“No, I don’t have any bad feelings,” Munhoz said. “It is what it is. He has his way of seeing things, I have my way of seeing things, and I wish him the best.”

Aside from the no contest with O’Malley, Munhoz had lost four of his previous five bouts. He’s looking for his first win since February 2021 on Saturday against Gutierrez, who is on an eight-fight unbeaten streak with one draw.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 44.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 16-22)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Jan. 16-22.

Streaking Chris Gutierrez draws Pedro Munhoz at UFC Fight Night on April 15

After sending Frankie Edgar into retirement, Chris Gutierrez will meet another UFC bantamweight mainstay in Pedro Munhoz.

After sending Frankie Edgar into retirement, [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] will get a chance to take another climb forward in the bantamweight pecking order against [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag].

Gutierrez (19-4-2 MMA, 7-1-1 UFC) and Munhoz (19-7 MMA, 9-7 UFC) have agreed to a matchup at UFC Fight Night on April 15. MMA Junkie confirmed the booking with a person close to the situation following an initial report from UFC broadcast partner ESPN. The person requested anonymity because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

There has not been an announced location or venue for the card at this time.

Gutierrez, No. 12 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings, is currently in the midst of an eight-fight unbeaten streak. After losing his octagon debut in November 2018, the 31-year-old has not been defeated again. His current streak includes a brutal first-round knockout of Edgar this past November at UFC 281.

No. 15 Munhoz, meanwhile, will attempt to hang on to his ranking and avoid extending the roughest stretch of his career. The 36-year-old has just one victory in his past six fights, albeit with all his losses coming against former or current champions in Aljamain Sterling, Jose Aldo, Dominick Cruz, and Edgar.

Munhoz’s most recent fight at UFC 276 in July saw him clash with Sean O’Malley, but it ended in a no contest when the Brazilian couldn’t continue after O’Malley poked him in the eye.

The latest lineup for UFC Fight Night on April 15 now includes:

Edson Barboza vs. Billy Quarantillo
Chris Gutierrez vs. Pedro Munhoz
Dustin Jacoby vs. Azamat Murzakanov
Bill Algeo vs. TJ Brown
Bruna Brasil vs. Denise Gomes
Martin Buday vs. Jake Collier

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