The UFC has finalized a fun bantamweight matchup that pairs up top 12 contenders. ESPN Deportes reported this morning that top contenders Pedro Munhoz (19-7, 1 NC) and Chris Gutierrez (19-3-2) will meet at an event in April.
The fight goes down on April 15th per the report. For Pedro Munhoz this will be his first fight since his showdown with “Suga” Sean O’Malley that took place last summer at UFC 276. That night, Munhoz was really making things tough on O’Malley, however, an accidental eye poke caused the fight to end in a No Contest.
It’s been a struggle for Munhoz as of late. He rose up the ranks in 2019 with his key win coming against former champion Cody Garbrandt by first round knockout. However, since that point, he’s gone 1-4, 1 NC in his last six fights.
Worth noting that the losses came against Aljamain Sterling, Frankie Edgar, Jose Aldo, and Dominick Cruz. All current or former champions so he’s losing to elite competition. While this might look like a slight step back in terms of name recognition, it’s not in terms of competition.
Will Gutierrez continue his UFC rise?
Chris Gutierrez made his UFC debut back in 2018 against Raoni Barcelos. He suffered a second round submission loss that night. Since that point, he hasn’t lost in the UFC. Other than a draw against Cody Durden, he’s been perfect inside the octagon.
He’s currently ranked 12th in the bantamweight division and he’s riding a four-fight winning streak. The last time we saw him was in November at UFC 281 when he was opposite Frankie Edgar in Edgar’s retirement fight. Unfortunately for all the Edgar fans, Gutierrez knocked him out cold with a knee in the first round.
Gutierrez has looked sensational and he’s an absolute sniper who continues to get better and better with each performance. While he’ll be the lower ranked contender in April, I fully expect him to be the betting favorite come fight night.