Pedro Munhoz has pretty clear plan for Scoggins: 'Knocking his ass out or choking his ass'

SAO PAULO – With seven submissions among his 12 professional wins, it’s no wonder UFC bantamweight Pedro Munhoz is seen mostly for his grappling skills.

One example is UFC Fight Night 100 opponent Justin Scoggins (11-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC), who seems somewhat convinced that Munhoz’s (12-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) main interest when they square off on Saturday will be getting him to the ground.

Given his track record, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt understands why Scoggins and others would overlook his striking game.

And Munhoz is actually quite OK with that.

“Standup is something that I always loved to do,” he told MMAjunkie ahead of the UFC Fight Pass-streamed preliminary-card bantamweight scrap, which takes place at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo. “It was actually my first martial art, when I started in karate when I was 6 years old. Not many people know that, but actually it’s a good thing. It’s a good thing that they think I’m going to try to put the fight on the ground.

“I feel very comfortable fighting standing. If you see all my submissions, it was the opponent trying to take me down; it wasn’t me trying to take them down. Or a lot of submissions that I have were also knockdowns that I started with my hands and I could’ve finished with the ground and pound, but I choose to go to the submission.”

Whether it’s submissions or knockouts, Munhoz makes no secret of his strategy: He goes for the finish no matter what. Being aggressive is how he got his two UFC wins, a TKO and a submission, but also how he went about his pair of losses: a short-notice debut against Raphael Assuncao and a split decision to contender Jimmie Rivera.

Aggression, he said, is always the plan. And that’s what Scoggins can expect.

“I’m aggressive; I don’t take that much time thinking and seeing what he’s going to do,” Munhoz said. “I’m always the guy that puts the pressure. Against Jimmie, against Raphael, if you notice, I was always the guy moving forward, fighting extremely aggressive.

“And that’s the same strategy that I see for this next fight. I see a Pedro just looking for the knockout, the submission the whole fight.”

One thing both Munhoz and Scoggins agree on is their predictions of a first-round finish on Saturday. The disagreement, of course, lays on which side is going to get it. Munhoz thinks Scoggins doesn’t “push the pace” and therefore is unlikely to get the job done quickly.

On his end, however, the prediction is pretty clear.

“Knocking his ass out or choking his ass,” Munhoz said.

For more on Munhoz’s thoughts, check out the video above.

And for more on UFC Fight Night 100, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.