It looks like one of the top ten contenders in the UFC‘s bantamweight division is considering a change in weight. For the last several years, Pedro Munhoz (19-6, 1 NC) has been one of the toughest outs in the bantamweight division.
Munhoz made his UFC debut back in 2014 at UFC 170 when he took on top contender Raphael Assuncao. That night, Munhoz lost by decision and suffered the first loss of his career.
Since that night, Munhoz has gone 9-5, 1 NC in ten fights with the UFC. Granted three of those losses were razor close split decision losses. Every loss that Munhoz has had in the bantamweight division has come against top competition.
Starting in 2016, Munhoz went on the best run of his career. He went 7-1 with his lone loss coming by way of split decision to former title challenger John Dodson. However, two of the wins he had during that stretch really stand out.
Munhoz submitted Rob Font in the first round and he also knocked out former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt in the first round. However, since that Garbrandt victory, Munhoz is just 1-3 in his last four fights.
UFC contender moving down?
Most recently, Munhoz took on former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo at UFC 265 a couple of weeks ago. Aldo used his speed and precision striking to fluster Munhoz over the course of three rounds.
While Munhoz had his moments here and there, the fight was largely dominated by Aldo. Today, the UFC released their “Thrill and Agony” video that they normally release following a PPV card.
The behind the scenes video highlights the emotions of fighters on both the winning and losing end of a fight. During the video, the camera caught up to Aldo and Munhoz talking after their fight at UFC 265.
Munhoz said to Aldo, “I might go down to flyweight.” Aldo then said to Munhoz that he thought it might be a good idea. While Munhoz hasn’t stated anything publicly, the move would seemingly make sense.
Munhoz is not a very big bantamweight compared to some of the other guys in the UFC. He definitely looks like he can make 125 pounds. If he does move, he would follow Cody Garbrandt who also moved down to 125 pounds.
Garbrandt has his UFC flyweight debut against Kai Kara-France booked for December. If Garbrandt picks up a win in that matchup, perhaps the UFC runs things back between Munhoz and Garbrandt at 125 pounds.