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Pedro Munhoz’s calf kicks were the difference in a dominant win over Jimmie Rivera in their rematch at UFC Fight Night 186.
Munhoz’s offensive repertoire revolved primarily around punishing Rivera’s lead leg, and it gave him a convincing lead after just a few minutes all the way until the final bell for a unanimous decision by scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 on Saturday night.
The bantamweight bout, which was a rematch of Rivera’s unanimous decision victory from November 2015, was part of the UFC Fight Night 186 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It streamed on ESPN+.
“That was the second time we were able to do this battle inside the octagon,” Munhoz said in his post-fight interview with Paul Felder. “We did it six years ago, and it was a war, and this time it was a war again.”
Both men came out firing to start off the bout, with Rivera (23-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) stinging Munhoz (18-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) with multiple shots. The Brazilian got some respect back with a clean blow of his own, but Rivera was relentless with his hands. Munhoz committed to the calf kicks, and the damage quickly accumulated, forcing Rivera to wince and collapse multiple times upon impact.
Rivera told his corner between rounds that his calf was toast and he “didn’t know what to do with it.” He came out punching to start Round 2, though, but needed to be cautious in taking further damage. They briefly spilled to the ground and traded heel hook attempts, but the fight quickly returned standing and Munhoz went back to battering the leg. Rivera essentially was disarmed due to the leg damage by late in the second round, and it allowed Munhoz to deliver a measured output and take complete control.
With all the momentum on Munhoz’s side going into Round 3, Rivera swung for the fences trying to make something big happen. Munhoz wasn’t there to be caught in a mistake, though, and he cruised to the final bell with more punches and kicks. Rivera found a late moment in landing a heavy shot in the final minute, but he couldn’t hurt Munhoz badly enough to pull off the stunning turnaround.
As a result, Munhoz snapped his two-fight losing skid and got his hand raised for the first time since a knockout of former UFC champ Cody Garbrandt in March 2019.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 186 results include:
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Pedro Munhoz def. Jimmie Rivera via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
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Alex Caceres def. Kevin Croom via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
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Thiago Moises def. Alexander Hernandez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
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Alexis Davis def. Sabina Mazo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
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Ronnie Lawrence def. Vince Cachero via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:38
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Dustin Jacoby def. Maxim Grishin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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