Fast-rising Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight
Andre
Muniz is not shying away from a challenge.
At
UFC 276, Muniz (23-4) earned his fifth win in as many attempts
in the UFC, deflating powerful striker Uriah Hall by
a clear-cut unanimous decision. The victory elevated Muniz to the
no. 10 spot in the UFC’s
rankings, and the #13 position on
Sherdog’s Official Rankings at 185 pounds as well. Muniz, who
spoke to Sherdog on Wednesday, is already thinking about his next
opponent and his return to the cage.
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“That camp to face Uriah Hall
was especially very long, almost five months of hard training,”
Muniz admitted. “Hall unfortunately had a problem and it needed to
be postponed, but thank God everything went out exactly how my team
predicted. My foot is hurting after I kicked Uriah’s elbow, but I
don’t think it’s something serious, I’ve just got some exams this
week and I’m waiting for the results to know exactly what happened.
My plan is to be back in the academy next week and back in the
Octagon around November”
When asked if he had a specific name in mind, the TFT fighter
pointed to three different options, knowing that he might not get
his first choice.
“Looking the agenda of the ranked above me all of them are busy,
there are only three names available: Derek
Brunson, who just has one fight left [on his] contract and we
don’t know if he will keep doing MMA; [Jared]
Cannonier, who just lost to the champion; and [Sean]
Strickland who just lost to ‘Poatan’ [Alex
Pereira],” Muniz analyzed. “Today I talked to my manager, Alex
Davis, and after I get the foot exam ready I’ll tell him. My plan
is to return around November.”
Paying close attention to the rest of his division, including the
top of the ladder where champion Israel
Adesanya is expected to take on former opponent Pereira for the
belt, “Sergipano” expects nothing but the best from those fighters.
Muniz predicts the clash will provide a striking chess match.
“I believe it’s going to be a clash of two kickboxing masters, but
I have no doubt the champion is clearly bothered by the presence of
‘Poatan.’ And it got clear when Strickland recalled in the press
conference that ‘Poatan’ beat him twice, and [Adesanya] got really
mad. [With] such [great] kickboxing [skills] that both have, those
mind tricks may be a factor in favor of ‘Poatan.’ If I had to bet,
I would say ‘Poatan’ will knock out Adesanya once again,” the
grappler concluded.