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Pedro Munhoz doesn’t typically hold onto much animosity after his fights, but he definitely still has some unfinished business to settle with UFC 292 headliner Sean O’Malley.
This past July, Munhoz had the chance to end the hype surrounding O’Malley when they clashed at UFC 276 but the fight ended prematurely after an eye poke left the Brazilian unable to see, which ultimately resulted in the bout being declared a no-contest. Afterwards, O’Malley celebrated the result as if he was victorious, which understandably rubbed Munhoz the wrong way and he would love the chance to run it back — possibly even outside the octagon.
“Actually a part of me wants to f*** him up in the hotel,” Munhoz said when addressing O’Malley at UFC 292 media day. “But the other part of me as a father, a husband and a believer says don’t do that. You’re going to get yourself [in trouble]. I’m kidding. We’re professionals.
“I know he does that [trash talk], it is what it is. I’m not the guy that I sell my soul to the devil so I can get more followers, sponsors or money. But nobody’s supposed to like each other and he has his ways of doing things. I have my way of doing things.”
While there’s certainly no love lost between them, Munhoz still praised O’Malley for his skill set in the five-plus minutes they spent in the cage together.
Of course, Munhoz has one major problem with O’Malley’s style, which ultimately led to their fight coming to a close before either one of them could secure a win.
“Besides his b**** ass hand open all the time in front of my face, he’s pretty good,” Munhoz said. “He has good length. He was surprised the way I was pressing him and not getting hit. The leg kicks, the high kicks, the pressure, and I believe I won the first round. The second one, I didn’t see the scorecards or anything like that but besides all the immature stuff he does on the internet, he’s a good fighter.
“Even though that I thought he lost that fight [against Petr Yan], he impressed me with his skills. He’s pretty tough and getting better every single fight.”
As far as O’Malley’s chances to dethrone Aljamain Sterling and become bantamweight champion on Saturday night, Munhoz won’t go as far as picking him to win.
Because he actually fought both of them, Munhoz understands this matchup better than most and that’s why he’s leaning towards Sterling defending his belt for a fourth consecutive time.
That said, Munhoz would still love the chance to clash with O’Malley again whether or not he becomes UFC champion or ends up back among the rest of the contenders vying for a title shot in the future.
“Sterling, very good wrestling, grappling background,” Munhoz said. “Sean O’Malley, long reach, precision, knockout power. So it’s definitely a fight that it’s going to be really good for the bantamweight division.
“I think Sterling [wins]. If I get the opportunity to fight [O’Malley] again, I don’t see why not.”
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