Taken down nearly 15 seconds into the fight, Muniz reversed position and eventually jumped on Johnson’s back. Training Brazilian jiu-jitsu since he was 13, Muniz was too comfortable from that position and was able to sink in the choke and earn the first-round submission victory.
Dominating an opponent and finishing the fight in less than two minutes is what garners attention, and that’s what White saw in this performance. In his second attempt, Muniz finally earned a UFC contract.
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In his debut at UFC Fight Night Błachowicz vs. Jacaré, Muniz fought Antônio Arroyo to a hard-fought decision victory. Each fighter recorded over five minutes of control time, but it was Muniz’s consistency on the feet that swayed the judges in his favor.
After getting his feet wet in his new promotion, Muniz found his footing and picked up three consecutive submission victories, all by armbar in under four minutes. Defeating Bartosz Fabiński, Ronaldo “Jacaré” Souza, then Eryk Anders, Muniz continued progressing, fighting more difficult opponents each time out.
Muniz’s victory against veteran standout Souza was his standout performance since arriving to the promotion. Breaking Souza’s arm to hand his opponent the first and only submission loss in his career, Muniz showed that his grappling was incomparable to even one of the most dangerous fighters UFC has ever seen.
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And that’s what is so telling of Muniz’s success and how he’s become one of the most prolific fighters to come from DWCS. As the difficulty of opposition increases, being given dominant strikers, wrestlers or long-time veterans, “Sergipano” continues to improve in all facets of martial arts and dominate every opponent put in front of him.
