Pedro Munhoz righted the ship at Chris Gutierrez’s expense at UFC on ESPN 44, reminding the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division that he is one of its very best fighters.
Munhoz (20-7, 2 NC) entered the Octagon having won just once in his last six fights. Desperately in need of some positive momentum, he fought like it, using relentless pressure and pace to win what seemed like every minute of the fight. Munhoz got off to a hot start, dropping Gutierrez (19-5-2) with a big left and dominating the rest of the first round with ground-and-pound, submission attempts and a brief advance to side control.
There would not be another single moment of game-changing offense from “The Young Punisher,” but the tone had been set: Munhoz marched Gutierrez down for the balance of the fight, reducing him to throwing single strikes off the back foot. Gutierrez made an effort to turn the tide in the final round, throwing some spinning attacks and even, in the closing moments, a rolling thunder kick, but nothing landed with effect.
The cageside judges scored the fight for Munhoz by unanimous 30-27 tallies, bringing the 36-year-old’s UFC record to 10-7 with two no contests. Gutierrez, who came into “UFC Kansas City” with a 7-1-1 Octagon record, had a four-fight win streak broken in defeat.
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