Andre Muniz vs. Taylor Johnson
Muniz enters the DWCS blazing hot, as he has won 11 of his last 12 fights. He was a contestant on the Brazilian season of the show and defeated Bruno Assis by unanimous decision. Despite getting the W, he failed to impress UFC brass and was not offered an opportunity in the top MMA organization. The Brazilian returns with an impressive 17-4 record and 15 stoppages in his career. Though he has won three fights in a row, he might be best known for defeating and retiring former World Extreme Cagefighting champion Paulo Filho in 2014. “Sergipano” threatens little with his standup. He uses some push kicks and throws a right hook to distract his opponents so he can look for his takedowns. He makes the mistake of not moving his head away from strikes and simply tries to cover up with his hands and forearms. He also does not have much pop behind his punches. When Muniz closes the distance, his opponent is usually in immediate trouble. The 29-year-old likes to press his opponents against the fence before dropping down on their legs, lifting them off the ground and slamming them to the canvas. Once the fight hits the ground, the Brazilian shows he is a high-level grappler. Muniz has outstanding top control, and he only needs a split-second opening to finish a fight with a submission. He has already ended 11 bouts by going that route. The Brazilian can get the submission from the top, the bottom, while standing or during a scramble.
Though he only has five fights under his belt, Johnson enters the Octagon with huge buzz surrounding him. The undefeated fighter is 5-0, with all of his wins coming by first-round TKO. “Tombstone” is an extremely athletic and explosive fighter. The LFA veteran is a classic wrestle-boxer with dynamite in his hands. He loves to step into the pocket and fire off devastating hooks and uppercuts, but his best strike is the overhand right. If he connects clean, his opponents are in grave danger of being left motionless on the canvas. The Victory MMA representative is a high-level wrestler. The former NAIA champion has fast entries on his opponents’ hips but prefers to take the fight to the ground with upper-body moves. He unleashes scary ground-and-pound on his opponent, but it is difficult to get a firm grasp on him because he has fed off of low-level fodder. It also does not help that he has little cage experience, with all of his bouts ending under three minutes. Because he has not yet been pushed into deeper waters, his gas tank remains mystery.
Johnson, 28, seems to have a high ceiling and looks like a fighter who will be in the UFC sooner or later. However, this represents a significant step up in competition for him. He likes to take the fight to the ground, where Muniz is most dangerous, so it might benefit him to try to keep his distance and land one of his power punches. Unfortunately, his instincts are likely to take over in the heat of battle. Look for Muniz to make him pay with a late first-round submission and earn a UFC contract.
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