UFC bantamweight Pedro Munhoz has revealed that he could follow Cody Garbrandt down to the flyweight division in the near future.
Munhoz was last in action at UFC 265 earlier this month. Against his legendary compatriot José Aldo, “The Young Punisher” was comfortably beaten on the scorecards after the pair went the 15-minute distance.
The 34-year-old’s latest setback represents his third loss in his last four fights. Decision defeats to current 135-pound champion Aljamain Sterling and former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar were followed by a rebound victory over Jimmie Rivera at UFC Vegas 20 earlier this year.
Now without a winning streak since 2019, and with his place in the bantamweight top 10 hanging by a thread, it seems Munhoz could be turning to a new weight class to reignite his career.
During a recent interview with AG Fight, Munhoz revealed that his failure to beat Aldo has left him seriously considering a switch to 125 pounds, especially after seeing how “Junior” has fared since moving down from featherweight.
“It was something that after the fight and I analyzed the fact that Aldo had fought a long time at featherweight and, with a professional team behind him, and he did a great job,” Munhoz said. “He kept the blast and strength, but he went down well and the most important fact is that the recovery was good. This made me think about this possibility (to go down in weight category). I want to see what the next steps will be, who will offer me, but it is a possibility that I do not rule out.” (h/t LowKickMMA)
Munhoz suggested that he’d have no issue with the dietary changes that he’d need to make to comfortably make the lower weight. And while he didn’t provide an exact timeframe, the Brazilian didn’t rule out his next fight being his flyweight debut.
“I always had a quiet time to beat bantamweight, so if I go down to flyweight, this diet time would be longer and more regulated, which for me is fine,” Munhoz added. “There comes a time when we need to chart a new path, so there is (a chance). I don’t know if in the next (fight) or in two. But I think so.”
If Munhoz does decide to pursue a fresh challenge in the UFC’s lowest male weight class, he’ll be following a similar path to that of former opponent Cody Garbrandt. “The Young Punisher” faced the former UFC Bantamweight Champion at UFC 235 in 2019. In a crazy opening round, both men swung hard and left everything in the Octagon, but it was Munhoz who secured the knockout finish with less than 10 seconds of the first frame remaining.
Munhoz’s victory succumbed Garbrandt to a third consecutive loss, and after another win and defeat in the division, he recently announced his move down to flyweight. He’s expected to make his debut in December against Kai Kara-France.
With Munhoz potentially looking to join “No Love” in challenging for Brandon Moreno’s gold, a rematch between the pair could well be on the cards.
How do you think Pedro Munhoz would fare as a flyweight?
