Former lightweight champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar (23-8, 7 KOs, 4 SUBs) will make his bantamweight debut against Pedro Munhoz (18-4, 4 KOs, 9 SUBs) at UFC Fight Night: Munhoz vs. Edgar on Saturday, August 22 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Catch the action on ESPN starting 6pm ET, with a co-main event featuring light heavyweight veteran Ovince St. Preux and prospect Alonzo Menifield. Let’s take a look at the main event between Edgar and Munhoz, dig into the numbers and break down your best UFC betting options at the online sportsbook.
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Frankie “The Answer” Edgar (23-8, 7 KOs, 4 SUBs)
Frankie’s been hearing the calls to drop to bantamweight for years. The New Jersey native probably should’ve heeded the advice a few years ago, as he’s currently in the worst slump of his career. Not only is he 1-3 in his past four, The Answer has been brutally knocked out in two of those defeats. First came a 2018 loss to Brian Ortega, who landed an uppercut from hell that literally lifted Frankie off the ground. A win over Cub Swanson was nice, but Holloway had no trouble with Edgar for five rounds, and The Korean Zombie finished him in just one round.
We’ve seen this before: a fighter who has never been knocked out before suddenly starts getting knocked out. Edgar is 38 years old and has been through a lot of absolute wars. Not only is he a step slower, but his iron chin is starting to show some cracks. We’re not saying that he’s done, but it’s fair to doubt whether Edgar is physically able to fight with the lighter weight elites.
The UFC odds at BookMaker.eu are doubting Edgar’s bantamweight run from the get-go, opening with Edgar as a major +186 underdog. We’d say that mainly has to do with his age and decline, as the betting public has gone against him and moved his line above +200 in recent days.
Pedro Munhoz (18-4, 4 KOs, 9 SUBs)
The UFC is not wasting any time throwing Edgar to the sharks - Munhoz has been fighting the upper tier bantamweights for the past three years. In his past five fights, the 33-year old has beaten Brett Johns, Bryan Caraway and Cody Garbrandt. His last outing came in June 2019, when Munhoz dropped a clear decision to now-title contender Aljamain Sterling. That was probably the closest Munhoz will ever get to a title shot, but there’s no shame in being an elite gatekeeper in a super strong weight class.
Muhhoz might not be recognized as an action fighter, but he’s lowkey one of the division’s most exciting guys. That’s because he relies on relentless pressure and an ability to take hits to win. A simpler way to look at this: Munhoz just out-toughs dudes. Not many fighters can brawl with Cody Garbrandt and come out victorious, but the Brazilian did just that.
Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Munhoz 5.29 / Edgar 3.6
Striking accuracy: Munhoz 42% / Edgar 40%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Munhoz 6.17 / Edgar 2.48
Striking defense: Munhoz 57% / Edgar 68%
Grappling Stats
Takedowns per 15 minutes: Munhoz 0.92 / Edgar 2.34
Takedown accuracy: Munhoz 21% / Edgar 31%
Takedown defense: Munhoz 81% / Edgar 65%
Submissions per 15 minutes: Munhoz 1.05 / Edgar 0.34
UFC Picks
We think that oddsmakers might be writing off Edgar too soon here. Though he’s fighting an uphill battle, Edgar has the well-rounded skillset to pull off the win here. Munhoz’s wild style won’t be easy to corral, but Edgar has the wrestling to ground the high flyer. A small bet on Edgar makes some sense here, considering a 2-for-1 return.
UFC Fight Night Edgar vs. Munhoz Card & Odds
Bantamweight- Frankie Edgar +212 vs. Pedro Munhoz -265
Women’s Flyweight- Shana Dobson +650 vs. Mariya Agapova -1062
Women’s Strawweight- Amanda Lemos +110 vs. Mizuki Inoue -135
Welterweight- Takashi Sato +154 vs. Daniel Rodriguez -186
Light Heavyweight- Marcin Parchnio +196 vs. Mike Rodriguez -240
Lightweight- Austin Hubbard -123 vs. Joe Solecki -147
Featherweight- Mark Striegl +390 vs. Timur Valiev -523
Light Heavyweight - Ovince Saint Preux +108 vs. Alonzo Menifield -132
Welterweight- Carlton Minus -131 vs. Matthew Semelsberger +107
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