Pedro Munhoz Outworks Chris Gutierrez

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.