UFC fight night: Munhoz vs. Edgar preview and pick

The oft-delayed showdown between Pedro Munhoz and Frankie Edgar finally gets its day in the ring as the two collide in the main event of the August 22 edition of UFC Fight Night. Can Edgar turn back the clock one last time? Or will father time rear his ugly head, courtesy of Munhoz? BetAmerica has the inside scoop on this critical match.

Edgar is well past his prime

While many UFC fighters are finding success in their late 30s, usually a time when their bodies and abilities betray their competitive spirit, Edgar unfortunately hasn’t benefited from this phenomenon. The former lightweight champion has lost his last two in a manner that suggests he’s been fighting for too long and is five years removed from his last decent performance.

As Edgar continues to move down the scales to try and reinvigorate his career, his punch resistance has deteriorated as well as his reflexes. Somehow, Edgar remains a +210 underdog despite a rash of poor performances and signs he’s drastically declined. Munhoz may be more of a submission specialist than a KO artist, but he will not hesitate to test Edgar’s resolve early on.

Munhoz looked sharp against Garbrandt and Caraway

We’ve seen Munhoz’s striking shine in his bouts against Cody Garbrandt and Bryan Caraway, stopping both men in the lead up to this bout with Edgar. In both of those fights, he showed excellent hand speed and a various selection of strikes that lead to him landing big shots. While he did take some punishment of his own in those bouts, those came against fighters who had more in the tank than Edgar does.

It’s not outside of reason to suggest Edgar could pull off the upset. He’s bigger, has a tremendous amount of experience and clearly doesn’t want to step away from the game just yet. He is a desperate man trying to stay relevant and is facing his last chance for another shot at glory. That desperation may translate into an early window of opportunity, a narrow one, but a chance to win with a big shot in the opening moments.

Munhoz vs. Edgar could end early

At the end of the day, it’s very hard seeing Edgar with no chin, no reflexes and virtually no upside pull off a win here. If he gets aggressive, Munhoz checks him early and stops him quick. If he gets cerebral, he’s too old and slow to go the distance without getting taken down and pounded out. Either way, expect an early night for the aged legend as Munhoz brings the heat, lowers the boom, and closes the show before the end of the first round.

MMA pick: Munhoz