Pedro Munhoz and Sean O’Malley never got to properly settle their differences.
An accidental eye poke led to an early end between the Bantamweight contenders at UFC 276 in July 2022. The bout was ruled a no-contest in round two after Munhoz was rendered unable to continue. O’Malley, however, went on to treat and react to the result as if it was a win on his record despite two of the three judges scoring the first round 10-9 for Munhoz.
Both men have fought and earned a single victory since their encounter with Munhoz defeating Chris Guttierrez via unanimous decision while O’Malley earned a split decision against Petr Yan (watch highlights). They return to action at UFC 292 in Boston, Massachusetts this weekend (Sat., Aug. 19, 2023) but with different opponents. Should the two cross paths during fight week, Munhoz expects a “fun” interaction.
“Actually a part of me wants to f—k him up in the hotel,” Munhoz said at UFC 292 media day (h/t MMA Fighting). “But the other part of me, as a father, a husband, and a believer says don’t do that. You’re going to get yourself [in trouble]. I’m kidding. We’re professionals.
“I know he does that [trash talk], it is what it is,” he continued. “I’m not the guy that I sell my soul to the devil so I can get more followers, sponsors, or money. But nobody’s supposed to like each other and he has his ways of doing things. I have my way of doing things.”
Former two-division titleholder, Henry Cejudo, was supposed to be taking on Marlon “Chito” Vera at UFC 292 until a shoulder injury forced him out, leading to a good opportunity for Munhoz. As for O’Malley, he’ll headline opposite the current champion, Aljamain Sterling.
Overall, Munhoz has respect for his old foe’s skills but ultimately feels the champion’s strong wrestling game will be too much to overcome.
“Besides his b—chass hand open all the time in front of my face, he’s pretty good,” Munhoz said. “He has good length. He was surprised the way I was pressing him and not getting hit. The leg kicks, the high kicks, the pressure, and I believe I won the first round. The second one, I didn’t see the scorecards or anything like that but besides all the immature stuff he does on the internet, he’s a good fighter.
“Even though that I thought he lost that fight [against Petr Yan], he impressed me with his skills,” he concluded. “He’s pretty tough and getting better every single fight.”
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 292 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
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