A few days later, he found out they had been shifted into the main event slot a week later.
“I was already excited that the fight got rebooked for August 15 and we were fighting again, and then I got even more excited when the fight got moved to the main event,” said Munhoz, who wasn’t sure if the pairing would remain intact following their initial cancellation. “For me it’s a big honor to be able to share the Octagon with a legend like Frankie Edgar, who is the second former champ that I will be facing.”
In some ways, this fight with Edgar has to feel like déjà vu all over again for Munhoz, to quote the great Yogi Berra, as it was just 15 months ago that he was paired off with a former UFC titleholder for the first time, looking at the matchup as an opportunity to graduate from being viewed as one of the unheralded stalwarts in the 135-pound weight class to a legitimate title contender.
More UFC Vegas 7: Fight by Fight | On the Rise | Significant Stats
Heading into his fight with Cody Garbrandt at UFC 235, Munhoz was confident that he could hold his own in a striking battle with “No Love,” forecasting that he would be able to draw the fiery former titleholder into a series of chaotic exchanges, where he would find Garbrandt’s chin and hand him a third straight knockout loss.
Everything went exactly as Munhoz had envisioned on fight night, as he pressed the action, trading heavy leather with the Team Alpha Male standout, and ultimately spun him to the ground with a sharp right hand late in the opening stanza. The duo earned Fight of the Night honors and the victory put Munhoz on a three-fight winning streak.
Three months later, Munhoz landed on the wrong side of a unanimous decision verdict against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 238, leaving him right back where he was prior to his first bout against a former UFC champion: stationed at No. 5 in the bantamweight rankings.
