Moving down to bantamweight for the first time in his storied career, Frankie Edgar picked up a split decision win over Pedro Munhoz on Saturday from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The five-round striking battle was a close one, with the performance giving both fighters a “Fight of the Night” award.
The win means Edgar is expected to crash the upper half of the UFC bantamweight rankings, as Munhoz entered the fight ranked fifth in the division. The fight saw Edgar bounce back from a two-fight losing streak, one of which was a title shot against Max Holloway in 2019.
“Heard a lot of MF’ers barking [that] I’m old and slow,” said Edgar, the 38-year-old, 33-fight pro in his post-fight interview.
The airtight split decision for the fight showed that there was differing opinions on who possibly could have taken the bout.
“It was a close fight. If they just said Munhoz [won] I wouldn’t have said ‘oh my god that’s crazy,’” said UFC President Dana White at the post-fight press conference.
Munhzo had confidence in his performance after the fight, although he was not bothered by the decision not going his way.
“It is what it is,” said Munhoz at the post-fight press conference, noting before that the media mostly picked him to win the fight.
A big factor in Munhoz’s gameplan on was the large volume of leg kicks that he threw. Edgar left the octagon after the fight clearly in pain due to his leg injury. He did not appear at the show’s post-fight press conference as he was transferred to the hospital.
Dobson Wins In Huge Upset
A performance bonus for the show went to Shana Dobson who won in a huge upset over Mariya Agapova. Evening her record to four wins and losses each, Dobson won despite being a +950 underdog on Vegas betting lines.
“I was a huge underdog. I used that as ammunition,” said Dobson in her post-fight interview.
The fight came about after the UFC debut for Agapova last June, following up her first-round win over Hannah Cifers by calling out Dobson.
Rodriguez Finishes Grant Following Near Loss
The opening bout on the main card was a hectic one, with welterweight Daniel Rodriguez rallying back from a near stoppage to finish Dwight Grant. Rodriguez was able to stop Grant with strikes shortly after the same thing almost happened to him.
“Dude I kinda blanked out for a minute not gonna lie,” said Rodriguez after fight, detailing how he was clearly hurt by Rodriguez at some point.
The win was the third for Rodriguez since he entered the UFC in February.
The fight was a short notice booking, as the original opponents for both fighters withdrew from their bouts on Friday. Conveniently a bout between Rodriguez and Grant was worked out for this show.
Solecki and Rodriguez Get Wins on Main Card
Also on the main card, Joe Solecki picked up his second UFC win, stopping Austin Hubbard in the first round with a rear naked choke. The last fight for Hubbard was a win, defeating newcomer Max Rohskopf last June.
Earning his first win since 2018, Mike Rodriguez stopped Marcin Prachnio in the co-main event of the show. The fight was the third consecutive loss for Prachnio, whose last win came before he entered the UFC.
Full Card Results
Main Card
Bout 9: Frankie Edgar def. Pedro Munhzo via Decision, Split
Bout 8: Mike Rodriguez def. Marcin Prachnio via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:17)
Bout 7: Joe Solecki def. Austin Hubbard via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 3:51)
Bout 6: Shana Dobson def. Mariya Agapova via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:38)
Bout 5: Daniel Rodriguez def. Dwight Grant via TKO, Punches (RD 1, 2:24)
Preliminary Card
Bout 4: Amanda Lemos def. Mizuki Inoue via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Jordan Wright def. Ike Villanueva via TKO, Doctor Stoppage (RD 1, 1:31)
Bout 2: Matthew Semelsberger def. Carlton Minus via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Trevin Jones def. Timur Valiev via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:59)
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