UFC 269 – Pedro Munhoz vs. Dominick Cruz – Fight Analysis & Predictions

Another great fight will be held in the bantamweight division at UFC 269. Former champion Dominick Cruz will take on top Brazilian contender Pedro Munhoz.

Pedro Munhoz vs. Dominick Cruz

Cruz is known as one of the most dominant champions in this division. He is the one who managed and served defeat to the legendary mighty mouse, Demetrius Johnson, a loss. He defeated bantamweight champion Joseph Benavidez twice; also, he defeated Urijah Faber twice in the UFC and defeated another champion T.J Dillashaw in 2016. However, he suffered his first-ever loss in the UFC in 2016 against Cody Garbrandt and retired. He came back from retirement against Henry Cejudo but suffered another loss, and finally, he held a very close fight with Casey Kenney and earned the first victory in his last five years.

Pedro Munhoz has been a member of the UFC since 2014 and earned veteran status. However, he peaked his career when he earned a KO victory against Cody Garbrandt at UFC 235. After that victory, he fought 4 times and gained only 1 win. His last appearance was against Jose Aldo, where “The King of Rio” earned a very dominant victory over his native college.

In this fight, I think Munhoz will earn another victory. Dominick is a phenomenal champion and wrote the history, but I don’t think his cardio and stamina can continue for all 3 rounds. Also, Munhoz has never been finished so I don’t think that Cruz will do it at 36. 36 is not too old, but he did not fight for 4 years and came back after a long retirement, which means a lot. Pedro does not have the cardio issue, so if Dominick gets tired, Pedro will go for the finish. Fighters, like Pedro, might not try to finish the fight but earn the points and win the unanimous decision victory, but if he feels the smell of blood, he will finish Dominick for sure.

Pedro will open this bout as a tiny favorite with the odds of 1.86, while Dominick has the odd of 2.0; I think 1.86 is great odds, and betting on the decision or finishing victory is not a good idea because nobody knows how the fight will go.