Pedro Munhoz felt he did enough to add another victory over a former UFC champion to his resume.
Saturday’s UFC at the main event of ESPN 15 was a direct classic, as Munhoz welcomed Edgar to the bantamweight division with a competitive five-round effort that ended in the judges awarding Edgar the split decision with a pair of 48-47 scores (the dissenting judge gave Munhoz the fight 49-46).
At the press conference after the meeting, Munhoz was asked if he thought he had won the fight and he was sure that was the case.
“Yes, without a doubt,” Munhoz said. ‘I was just about to get some stings with the doctor and then my coaches, Dan Lambert, ended up showing me just 17 of the media scores – 20 media scores, 17 gave me the fight. Seventeen. That only three gave it to him. Also I saw the score, I had the first, third, fourth and fifth round. ”
As the fighting progressed, it was clear that the final decision would deceive one competitor regarding figuring out what more they could have done to deserve a decision. In Munhoz’s case, he mixed winging heels with a constant diet of pedestrians while trying to drag Edgar’s attempt to drag the fight to the ground.
Both fighters were credited with a knockdown, but Munhoz still feels like he was closer to ending the match.
“Not even kicking the kick,” Munhoz said. ‘I hurt him with the jabs, I chased him five rounds. He got a few takedowns, but he could not do anything with the takedowns, I came right back. I was looking for the finish. ”
“A few times [I thought I had him in trouble], to be honest with you, ”Munhoz admitted. ‘He takes nothing from him, he is a hell of a fighter. I have nothing but respect for him and all his team. I feel real and I saw a few times that he was hurt and he’s pretty tough, that he did that really well hidden. I felt like throwing crosses, some hooks, a few tapes on his body, kicking the leg that he was hiding really well. Sometimes I was just fussing that I would throw the kiss and he fell, so probably he got hurt. The last two fights, both my opponents just left me with scratches. They could not ‘run out of the cage.’
Munhoz was proud of his own achievements and stated that he will leave it to his coaches to decide what adjustments and improvements they need to make for his next fight. He made sure he took nothing from Edgar, whom he saw as a legitimate threat to his new home in the 135-pound division.
However, he suggested that Edgar’s strong reputation – the 38-year-old is a former UFC lightweight champion and twice competed for the promotion’s featherweight title – may have played a role in the score.
“He looks very healthy, he looks very strong, tough, good cardio, a lot of good skills,” Munhoz said. ‘He definitely belongs in the top five of the division.
‘I just want honest things, you know what I mean? I just do not want to lose to people who have a better reputation than me, or people who are a former champion, things like that. That’s my point. I just want it honest. Nice score. ”
