UFC Fight Night 109's Pedro Munhoz not surprised he's a big favorite, but also doesn't care

STOCKHOLM – Pedro Munhoz knows the oddsmakers have pegged him a heavy favorite to beat Damian Stasiak on Sunday at UFC Fight Night 109.

And that, he says, isn’t a surprise.

But for a fighter who’s made a habit of subverting the underdog narrative, entering this fight as a favorite carries no meaning whatsoever.

“All those fights I did in the UFC, I was always the underdog,” Munhoz told MMAjunkie. “And actually (this is) the first one that I’m the favorite. I won almost all the fights I did before being an underdog, so for me it doesn’t matter. Favorite or underdog is not something that I really focus on.”

Munhoz (13-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and Stasiak (10-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) meet in an FS1-televised bantamweight affair at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm. The bout closes out the preliminary card after early prelims on UFC Fight Pass and before a main card also on FS1.

While he’s long been considered a dangerous prospect, Munhoz hasn’t had the most consistent UFC run. His promotional debut, which the then-undefeated Munhoz took on short notice, resulted in a decision setback to Raphael Assuncao. He went on to win his next two – but had his victory over Jerrod Sanders overturned because of a failed doping test.

After returning from the suspension with a split-decision loss to notoriously tough Jimmie Rivera, Munhoz bounced back big time. Now riding back-to-back wins with the submissions of Russel Doane and Justin Scoggins, he looks to get a third consecutive win for the first time in the UFC.

This will also mark Munhoz’s first octagon outing after training under American Top Team. The departure from his seven-year stint with Kings MMA, which he’d already discussed with MMAjunkie, was friendly. But ultimately, it was time to move on. And other than the pursuit of better training partners, Munhoz saw logistical advantages in the change.

“I just loved the facility, and one thing that is really interesting is that we do all the training in one spot,” Munhoz said. “Different than Los Angeles, where I was driving all over the place, spending a lot of time in traffic. And being in Florida, living close to the gym, all my training I do at American Top Team. So I can train way more and rest way more than I used to do.”

Munhoz admits he’s not prone to diving too deep into his opponent’s tapes, preferring to focus on his own skill set instead. But based on what he did get to see of Stasiak, he’s confident he can hold his own.

“He’s a tough opponent, like any of the of the other fighters in this organization,” Munhoz said. “You know, we are the best fighters in the world. He’s a karate world champion; he’s a brown belt in jiu-jitsu. I believe he has two finishes in the UFC or something like that.

“I expect that he’s going to kind of accept the ground. He believes his jiu-jitsu is really good –which I also believe – but mine is better. His striking skills are very good, but I believe I’m a guy you can hit all day long, and I won’t back out. I will be right there in your face until you get tired of punching me, and then I will knock you out or finish you.”

To hear more from Munhoz on Stasiak, fighting in Europe and his move to ATT, check out the video above.

And for more on UFC Fight Night 109, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.