Andre Muniz is prepared to face Paul Craig‘s grappling abilities at UFC London, despite his recent defeat, and aims to demonstrate strength within his division while acknowledging Craig’s impressive skills on the ground.
Andre Muniz, an esteemed jiu-jitsu specialist, has made clear that he will not underestimate the grappling abilities of Paul Craig at UFC London. Once deemed one of the greatest jiu-jitsu talents in the UFC middleweight division, Muniz has seen victory against notable opponents like Ronaldo Souza and Eryk Anders in 2021. However, he suffered a submission defeat to Brendan Allen earlier this year. Despite this setback, Muniz is ready to welcome Craig to the 185-pound class with the aim of “not only getting back to the winning track but also showing I’m alive in the division and marching strongly towards my goals.”
Discussions regarding his loss against Allen produced some insightful lessons for Muniz. He stated, “The lesson [against Allen] is that you can never not believe in your opponents, even in areas you have control”. With this outlook in mind, Muniz is consciously aware of the threat Craig presents, saying “we know how dangerous Paul Craig is on the ground with closed guard, open guard. Even though I have good jiu-jitsu, good know-how in grappling, I can’t not believe in the possibilities coming from my opponent at any moment.”
Craig’s light-heavyweight career boasts an impressive list of defeated opponents including the likes of former UFC champion Jamahal Hill, Nikita Krylov, Magomed Ankalaev, and used effective ground skills to subdue Mauricio Rua. Muniz acknowledges Craig’s credentials, stating “Numbers speak for themselves. He’s an excellent grappler, an excellent fighter on the ground, who does guard like no other in the [light heavyweight] division.” Muniz and his team have dissected Craig’s attacks and prepared accordingly, commenting “We’ve studied his attacks and prepared some defense, some counters to use in case the fight goes to the ground.”
Finally, Muniz is aware of the gravity of this fight in terms of his career trajectory. He sees an opportunity to advance to the top 10 of the UFC middleweight class with a victory over Craig, especially with fighters such as Alex Pereira and Kelvin Gastelum moving to different divisions. As a bonus, Muniz assures fans of an exciting battle at The O2 Arena, stating “I always prepare for a war because if you imagine an easy fight, a quick fight, you’ll get frustrated along the way, and that could be really bad. I’m prepared for a war. If we can manage to end it quickly, I thank God for that. If not, let’s go put on a war and give the fans in London a great show.”