The MMA Daily

A pivotal fight in the Bantamweight division see’s a pair of ranked fighters in Pedro Munhoz and Sean O’Malley clash. Still ranked ninth, despite losing two straight and four of the last five, Munhoz heads into this fight urgently needing a victory. Having opportunity after opportunity to rise to a contender, this may be Munhoz last chance to elevate himself. Meanwhile, O’Malley comes into this fight on a three-fight wins streak. Newly ranked and ready to catapult himself into contender ship, O’Malley with a victory, will be within the top ten of the division.

This is an intriguing fight, but one that seems to be favorable for O’Malley. Throughout his UFC tenure, the promotion has done an excellent job building him against formidable foes, that are on the downswing or he has an edge on skill-wise. Considering Munhoz has been a stepping stone in four of the last five fights, yet somehow is still ranked ninth, certainly fits that criteria. Both men are strikers, with O’Malley being the better of the two. Landing with more volume, being defensively sounder and having a five inch height and seven inch reach advantage, O’Malley should be able to have his way with Munhoz on the feet. Even the power edge goes to O’Malley, who has tallied 11 of his fifteen wins via knockout. However, given Munhoz has never been finished and is noted for his durability, I don’t foresee a finish. So with that said, I predict that O’Malley will win via decision.