Pedro Munhoz, who is set to fight Kyler Phillips at UFC 299, has expressed his desire to compete against former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo before he ends his career.
Pedro Munhoz, a seasoned bantamweight contender, has a new target. He’s faced some of the best, from champs to challengers. Now, he’s got a fresh face in mind.
This Saturday, he’s up against Kyler Phillips. It’s part of the UFC 299 undercard in Miami. He spilled the beans to MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast. There’s one guy he’d love to square off with before he hangs up his gloves. That’s none other than Henry Cejudo, the ex-two-division UFC champ.
Munhoz and Cejudo are the same age. “He’s a legend, really good at what he does,” said Munhoz. Cejudo’s not at his peak anymore, but that’s just how the game goes. Munhoz thinks it’d be a great match. He’d love to see it happen.
Cejudo recently lost to Merab Dvalishvili. He’s been vocal about wanting to fight ex-flyweight champ Brandon Moreno next. But Munhoz has a different idea.
“It’d make more sense to fight me at bantamweight than Moreno at flyweight,” Munhoz reckons. He’s got a pretty impressive track record, with bouts against big names like Jose Aldo, Dominick Cruz, and Sean O’Malley.
Munhoz was initially offered fights with Ricky Simon and Umar Nurmagomedov. But the UFC’s final offer was Kyler Phillips at UFC 299. Munhoz recently signed a new deal with the UFC. He sees himself fighting at the top for another two or three years. But he’s not hell-bent on chasing top-ranked opponents anymore.
“Who even does the rankings?” Munhoz asked. He pointed out that Dominick Cruz hasn’t fought in two years but is still ranked at No. 12. He’s got nothing against Cruz, but the rankings don’t make sense to him. He’s stopped caring about them. He’s taken fights with Chris Gutierrez and Kyler Phillips, who aren’t even ranked.
Munhoz beat Gutierrez in April 2023. But then he lost to Marlon Vera in August on short notice, stepping in for an injured Cejudo. He’s spotted weaknesses in Philips’ game that he plans to exploit at UFC 299. He’s good at breaking down opponents, which will be useful in his post-fighting career.
Munhoz doesn’t see any reason to stop fighting now. But he’s already laying the groundwork for a coaching role. He’s been working with ex-WEC featherweight champ Mike Brown.
“I’m already taking my first steps as a coach,” Munhoz said. He’s been filling in for some coaches at American Top Team. They have a development program for athletes transitioning to MMA. Munhoz and Brown are working on it together. It’s something he sees himself doing for a long time. Despite recent losses, he feels he’s improving every day.