Tomorrow night on the main card of UFC Kansas City, we are going to see an absolute banger in the bantamweight division. Top fifteen contenders will battle it out as Pedro Munhoz (19-7, 2 NC) takes on Chris Gutierrez (19-3-2).
This will be Munhoz’s first fight since his fight with Sean O’Malley that took place last summer at UFC 276. In that fight, I thought that Munhoz was actually fighting very well. He was frustrating O’Malley and could’ve been on his way to winning a decision. However, an accidental eye poke ended the fight in a No Contest.
Taking out that fight, Munhoz is just 1-4 in his previous five. He contemplated moving down to 125, but he’s remained inside the top ten at 135 pounds and now he’s looking to turn away the surging Chris Gutierrez.
Since making his UFC debut, Gutierrez has been an absolute problem at bantamweight. He’s gone 7-1-1 in nine fights which includes a four-fight winning streak. He continues to look better and better and he put on a show in his last fight.
He had the unfortunate responsibility of fighting Frankie Edgar in his retirement fight at UFC 281. Gutierrez did what he had to do and knocked out Edgar with a flying knee. He’s looking to make another statement and earn more respect tomorrow night.
UFC Kansas City Prediction
I think this is going to be a helluva fight for the fans. Both of these guys are going to stand toe-to-toe and you’re going to see a battle of two of the best leg kickers in the division. I’m very curious to see how both men approach the other.
For Munhoz, he can do well fighting behind a lot of pressure and volume. He’s shown his toughness in the past and if he can avoid the big shots of Gutierrez, he can win this fight with his volume and pressure. However, I think aggressiveness could play right into Gutierrez’s game plan.
I think Gutierrez is going to look to do a lot of counter striking with his range and power tomorrow night. Ultimately, I do like his technique a little more in this matchup and I think he’ll do a better job of landing the bigger shots. Not comfortable enough picking a finish, but pretty confident that Gutierrez gets it done in Kansas City.
Prediction: Chris Gutierrez by Decision