Gutierrez is pretty damn good, though. Unbeaten since a loss in his UFC debut to Raoni Barcelos in 2018, is unbeaten in eight fights, with seven wins and one draw against Cody Durden. Yet despite this run of success, the 13th ranked contender is staying as hungry as ever.
“They say, you’re only as good as your last win. Okay, fine, I went in there and I got the job done, but here we are, four or five months later, and I got to go do it again. So yeah, I still think of myself as I’m this newbie coming up to the rankings and I got a lot of things I got to still do before I can solidify my name.”
See What’s Happening In The Bantamweight Division | Bantamweight Rankings
Beating Munhoz is a good start, considering that the Brazilian has faced everyone and their brother at 135 pounds over the last nine years, including Edgar, Sean O’Malley, Rob Font, Cody Garbrandt, Dominick Cruz, 2023 UFC Hall of Fame inductee Jose Aldo and current bantamweight boss Aljamain Sterling. If that’s not a test, nothing is.
“My objective is to go out there and beat Pedro Munhoz decisively in good fashion and wherever the fight goes,” said Gutierrez. “My job is not really looking forward. If my name is going to be solidified or if I’m going to get the respect I deserve, I like to speak with my actions, and if my actions don’t give me the respect that is deserve, then I’ll keep doing what I do.”