In July 2022, Pedro Munhoz was left with a serious cornea cut after a poke in the eye from Sean O’Malley during their UFC 276 fight. It took Munhoz three months to receive medical clearance to train again, and nine months later, he will finally get back in the octagon to face Chris Gutierrez at UFC Kansas City.

Despite Munhoz’s eagerness for a rematch against O’Malley, he was instead forced to watch as O’Malley fought and defeated former champ Petr Yan. Munhoz’s recovery from his injury was a long process and he had to remain patient while monitoring his eye for any long-term damage.

Eager to finally return, Munhoz is preparing for his 19th UFC appearance and sees a lot of openings in Gutierrez’s game. With an 19-3-2 overall MMA record, Gutierrez is currently unbeaten in his past eight fights, with his latest being a brutal knockout over Frankie Edgar.

Munhoz’s game plan involves using his experience, toughness, and conditioning to emerge victorious. While he aims to finish the fight within three rounds and avoid leaving it in the hands of the judges due to the unpredictable nature of the sport, he is also prepared for the possibility of a strategic battle that could last the full three rounds.

Overall, Munhoz is focused and prepared to reclaim his spot in the bantamweight division, and demonstrating to the world that O’Malley’s offending eye poke was nothing more than a temporary setback.