Watch: Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera compare damage from calf kicks following their firefight at UFC Vegas 20
Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera shared the Octagon for the second time at UFC Vegas 20.
This time around, Pedro Munhoz was able to get back on the winning side. His strategy revolved around the use of calf kicks to hinder Jimmie Rivera's movement. The calf kick has emerged as a dangerous weapon in recent times. Whether it be Dustin Poirier's calf kicks that led to the first TKO loss for Conor McGregor or Justin Gaethje's constant calf kicks that helped him keep Tony Ferguson at bay and eventually snap his 12-fight win streak, unchecked calf kicks are proving to be game-deciders in modern MMA.
Pedro Munhoz employed this strategy successfully to beat Jimmie Rivera. Their fight lasted for the entirety of 15 minutes. At the very beginning of the fight, Munhoz came out with the calf kick and frequented the same every now-and-then. Jimmie Rivera, on the other hand, did his best to combine power and technique to deal damage to Pedro Munhoz.
Yet, Munhoz's surprising capacity in the striking department combined with the grueling calf kicks earned him a unanimous decision victory. At the end of the fight, Pedro Munhoz congratulated his opponent for a great fight. He also studied Jimmie Rivera's leg to see the effect that his kicks had on him.
In fact, Jimmie Rivera even told his corner in between rounds that his leg was in extreme pain.
The fight earned Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera the 'Fight of the Night' bonus. In the post-fight interview, Pedro Munhoz had an interesting opponent in mind for his next fight. He said,
"A lot of people are saying that T.J. Dillashaw is coming back. He’s a hell of a fight. For me, that will be a pleasure sharing the octagon with him. So, I’m ready to welcome him back."
How did the first fight between Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera go down?
Jimmie Rivera and Pedro Munhoz first locked horns inside the Octagon on November 7, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 77. The Bantamweights were relatively new to the UFC. While it was Pedro's 4th appearance inside the UFC Octagon, Jimmie was making his second appearance with the promotion.
Jimmie Rivera was riding on an incredible 16-fight win streak as a professional mixed martial artist heading into the fight with Pedro Munhoz. He was able to keep the momentum going, albeit barely. He bagged a split-decision victory over Pedro in the 3-round bout, handing Pedro Munhoz his second professional defeat.