Justin Scoggins: 'Somebody is going to have to pull me off' Pedro Munhoz at UFC Fight Night 100

SAO PAULO – Justin Scoggins’ days as a flyweight didn’t end the way he hoped, but “Tank” is moving forward. Scoggins wants to forget the past and focus on the future – a bantamweight run he hopes to kick off with a vicious knockout of Pedro Munhoz.

“I feel really good now,” Scoggins told MMAjunkie. “I feel strong. I feel healthy. I’m ready to get in there and prove to everybody that I’m a better fighter at this weight class and I can put on a really good show at 135. (I want to) just go out there and get that strap.”

Munhoz (12-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) and Scoggins (11-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) meet on the UFC Fight Pass-streamed portion of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 100 event, which takes place at at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo. Following the early prelims, the remainder of the card airs on FS1.

For Scoggins, the bout represents his first UFC appearance at bantamweight, a move necessitated after he was unable to make the flyweight limit at July’s UFC 201 event.

Much more comfortable following his move to 135 pounds, Scoggins said it’s been an eye-opening experience.

“I get to do a lot more strength training now,” Scoggins said. “Definitely, like my nutrition is way better. I’m not depleting myself of any nutrients or anything. I’m going to be in there 100 percent. I can guarantee everybody they’re going to get to see 100 percent of Justin Scoggins when I step in that octagon.

“The big difference I see is the speed between ’25ers and ’35ers. I mean, ’25ers are way faster than a lot of the ’35ers. (John) Dodson has came up, and he’s done really well. (John) Lineker has came up, and he’s done really well. It’s because these guys aren’t depleting their bodies anymore. They’re going in there with all their power, all their speed, and it’s a 10-pound difference. If you can’t do what you do because the guy weighs 135 instead of 125, you need to find a different sport to do. I’m going to come in here and just beat the crap out of these guys. They’re not going to hit me. They’re not going to touch me, and that’s just the way it’s going to go down.”

Scoggins has the added challenge of fighting on foreign soil after traveling to Munhoz’s Brazilian homeland for the contest. But the 24-year-old seems excited for the challenge to test himself in a difficult environment.

“I like going into hostile territory,” Scoggins said. “It’s cool for me. I like to go in there and kind of spoil everybody’s good time, I guess. I feed off energy, whether it’s negative or positive energy. I’m just going to take it and ride that wave. It’s only going to be good for me.

“He’s a tough test, man. Pedro Munhoz is a really good Brazilian jiu-jitsu guy. He was a former champ in another organization, so this is a good win. It will propel me right up there to the top of the heap, I feel like, with a good finish over this guy. So just go in there and beat him up, do my thing, and take it one fight at a time.”

Prior to his weight issue, Scoggins was considered a top prospect at 125 pounds. He still sits at No. 11 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA flyweight rankings, though he could make the switch to the 135-pound list following Saturday’s appearance.

Scoggins said he could be even more dangerous in his new division and is excited to prove his worth in his new home.

“To me, the most important thing is growing as a human being, growing as an artist and just making myself happy doing what I love,” he said. “But the gold belt, that’s what I’m here for. That’s why I’m in the UFC, is to get that gold belt. But at the end of the day, this is my art form, and I just want to prove to myself that every time I go out there that I’m becoming a better artist.

“(I see this fight ending in the) first round – TKO or knockout, one of those. Somebody is going to have to pull me off of this dude.”

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