LAS VEGAS – Pedro Munhoz expects Marlon Vera to lure him into the exact type of fight that he likes.
Munhoz (20-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) will step in for Henry Cejudo to face Vera (22-8-1 MMA, 14-7 UFC) at UFC 292 on Aug. 19 at TD Garden in Boston.
In his most recent outing in April, Munhoz snapped Chris Gutierrez’s eight-fight unbeaten streak with a unanimous decision win. “The Punisher” respects Vera, and anticipates an exciting battle.
“He’s good,” Munhoz told MMA Junkie Radio on Radio Row at UFC X during International Fight Week in Las Vegas. “I also know my strengths, my capability, and that’s going to be a hell of a fight.”
Munhoz has thrived in Fight of the Night wins over the likes of Jimmie Rivera and former champion Cody Garbrandt. He had to make adjustments against Gutierrez, but sees ‘Chito’ meeting him in the middle.
“I like to get wild,” Munhoz said. “If you get the chance to get wild, why not? Let it just be out there. A lot of the times that the fight went wild, it was the type of fight that I get big. So lately, a lot of the fighters that I fought were trying to avoid that, trying to fight on the back foot.
“The last fight against Gutierrez, I had to adapt a little bit of my strategy to fight a guy that I knew was not coming forward as much as ‘Chito’ will come. But I appreciate a little bit of a dog fight to be honest with you.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.
