Pedro Munhoz has shared the octagon with former and future champions, Hall of Famers and rising prospects, and he isn’t bothered by a potential role as the bantamweight’s gatekeeper just weeks away from his 38th birthday.

“The Young Punisher” will make his 22nd walk to the UFC cage this weekend to face Aiemann Zahabi at UFC Edmonton, looking to snap the Canadian’s four-fight winning streak in enemy territory, and said that being put in a position as the one to separate unranked from the elite “does not bother me because this is my work and I love doing this.”

“I know my last five fights had the no-contest with Sean O’Malley, one win and three losses, but this is the UFC,” Munhoz said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “The UFC isn’t an organization where an athlete… I won’t say [protect], but some athletes and even their managers try to promote and find the right fights, and that’s something that’s never happened with me. I always went there inside the shark tank. The UFC likes the way I perform. I still feel the fire to continue competing, and this is something I think about every single day as I felt for my first fight.”

Munhoz entered the UFC in 2014, facing top-ranked Raphael Assuncao in his debut, and has beaten the likes of Cody Garbrandt, Rob Font, Bryan Caraway and Jimmie Rivera throughout his career, and six of his nine UFC losses came against men that have held or competed for UFC titles across three divisions. Munhoz signed a new UFC deal after losing to Marlon Vera, and looks to rebound from a recent decision defeat to Kyler Phillips.

“The goal is always to finish the fight, especially the way I fight, but knowing how experienced I am, I’m always ready for a three-round war,” Munhoz said. “I fought Chris Gutierrez when he was on an eight-fight [unbeaten] streak, a knockout over Frankie Edgar, and I beat him. The fact that my opponent is on a roll doesn’t bother me because I have the experience. I know I’m on the final run of my career but I was never one to pick and choose fights.”

Munhoz admitted, however, he would much rather face big-name opponents than athletes like Zahabi, who would present higher risk with low reward.

“I wanted to rematch with Dominick [Cruz],” Munhoz said. “I almost knocked him out twice in the first round — he said himself he had no recollection of the fight for days —, so I think we could do that rematch. Or even Henry Cejudo, a fellow veteran of the UFC, but the UFC offered me this fight [against Zahabi]. I was training every day in the gym and I love showing I can compete at the highest level against up-and-comers or legends, so I have no problem fighting anyone. I’m game.”

Ciao Machado and Brendson Ribeiro meet Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 246 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 1-4
UFC main cards, 2024: 90-85-3

Ciao Machado vs. Brendson Ribeiro UFC Fight Night 246 preview

Machado (8-3-1 MMA, 0-2 UFC) makes a move to light heavyweight after losing his first two fights in the UFC at heavyweight. The Dana White’s Contender Series veteran dropped unanimous decisions to Mick Parkin and Don’Tale Mayes, and will now hunt for his first UFC win in a new weight class. … Ribeiro (15-7 MMA, 0-2 UFC) is also in search of his first win in the promotion. Another DWCS veteran, Ribeiro was finished by Mingyang Zhang in his debut, followed by a majority decision loss against Magomed Gadzhiyasulov.

Ciao Machado vs. Brendson Ribeiro UFC Fight Night 246 expert pick, prediction

Filling out the main card in Edmonton is a battle between two light heavyweights on losing skids, Machado and Ribeiro.

Despite having a trio of exciting bantamweight fights featuring local talent on the prelims to pick from, the UFC matchmakers are back to drowning us with lower-level big guys on the main cards.

Although Machado received a harsh grade from me in his Contender Series contest, the Brazil-born Canadian showed some quiet improvements in what were two competitive losses on the scorecards.

Whereas Ribeiro, who received a solid grade due to the nature of having a fast finish, has since shown a lack of depth and suspect staying power in his game.

This fight could go several ways, but I sadly see it as a slower, drawn-out affair that favors the southpaw Machado.

The official pick is Machado by decision.

Ciao Machado vs. Brendson Ribeiro UFC Fight Night 246 odds

The oddsmakers and public are favoring the older fighter, listing Machado -148 and Ribeiro +126 via FanDuel.

Ciao Machado vs. Brendson Ribeiro UFC Fight Night 246 start time, how to watch

Machado and Ribeiro are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 9:35 p.m. ET (6:35 p.m. PT). The fight will stream on ESPN+.

Watch as Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reflects on their second Premier League defeat in three games and credits Newcastle’s performance in their 1-0 loss at St James’ Park.

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Erin Blanchfield never wants to lose but she did manage to find some perspective after her first setback in the UFC when she fell to Manon Fiorot by decision back in March.

While a win would have almost certainly cemented her as the No. 1 contender in the division, the 25-year-old flyweight prefers that she got her bad night at the office out of the way before she became a champion. Nothing is ideal about losing but Blanchfield learned a lot from that experience and now believes she’s a better fighter because of it.

“It’s something I actually talked to my dad about,” Blanchfield explained when speaking to MMA Fighting. “I was thinking about that after that fight. It sucks to lose but you can always get better and there’s perspective on it. Like I’m so happy I was able to lose then and not lose my title to her. Let’s say I fought for a title and won it and then had lost my title to her or somebody else, that would have sucked more.

“Taking that lesson now while I’m still on the journey to get to the title, I think it’s going to be a lot better than losing a title in that way. I’d rather learn the lessons now so I can be prepared when I’m a champ.”

As far as what went wrong in the Fiorot fight, Blanchfield points to a couple of key issues that led to her struggles during the five-round battle.

In particular, Blanchfield was impressed with how effectively Fiorot used her size and reach advantage, which then led to problems with her grappling after going 0-for-3 on takedowns.

“I think my distance definitely wasn’t gauged great,” Blanchfield said. “I feel like she did a really good job sticking to her plan. She was very disciplined with it and I feel like maybe I didn’t have all the answers at that time. Those are things I’ve really tried to focus on and fix leading up to this fight. I feel like it was a really good experience for me and you’re never going to have the best nights every single time. I feel like it was a bad night, some bad timing, some bad distances. I think those are the things that kind of led to the loss.

“I knew she was a good fighter. I knew she used her length well. She knows how to fight for her body type and her style. She just utilized it well.”

Coming off that loss, Blanchfield moves right back into another huge matchup when she faces Rose Namajunas in a five-round co-main event at the UFC Edmonton card on Saturday. Meanwhile, Fiorot is expected to get a title shot against new champion Valentina Shevchenko sometime in 2025.

Blanchfield expects that Fiorot could potentially give Shevchenko the same kinds of problems she faced against a taller, longer fighter at 125 pounds. Of course, Shevchenko is the champion for a reason but Blanchfield doesn’t count Fiorot out from getting the job done and taking the title.

“I think Manon will do very well,” Blanchfield said. “I think she’s going to be a lot bigger fighter than Valentina. I don’t think Valentina cuts a lot to make [125] and Manon’s a big girl. I think she can definitely use that to her advantage, her height and her length.

“I do think Valentina is the more dynamic fighter. She has more tools than Manon. So I think it’s almost who can utilize what better. Can Manon use her size and her reach and her length to her advantage over Valentina’s more dynamic style.”

Since first arriving in the UFC, Blanchfield always dreamed about facing Shevchenko as one of the fighters she most admired coming up as a prospect in the sport. With hopes of getting back into title contention with a win over Namajunas on Saturday, the New Jersey native knows that fight could definitely still happen.

On the flipside if Fiorot gets the job done against Shevchenko and becomes champion, Blanchfield has just as much motivation to earn her way back to a rematch, perhaps this time with gold on the line.

“I’ve always wanted to fight Valentina,” Blanchfield said. “I’ve been watching her forever. She still has that aura being a great champ even with the whole Alexa [Grasso] trilogy. So I’d love to fight her and then obviously I’d love to fight Manon to get that win back.”

Before any of that can happen, Blanchfield has to get through Namajunas but she couldn’t have envisioned a better scenario to get back to where she wants than landing this particular matchup.

Namajunas is a former UFC champion currently riding a two-fight win streak at flyweight and Blanchfield recognizes that a win should put her right back in title contention again.

“It sucked losing my last fight and that always kind of hurts,” Blanchfield said. “So you always want to get back out there and get that win under your belt. Kind of get yourself feeling the way you’re used to. I’m really grateful I’m still in position to have these very high level fights and high profile fights like another five round fight against Rose.

“I set myself up in that position because of the performances I’ve had in the past. So I really want to continue that and really show out in this one.”

Alex Pereira has teased a potential move to heavyweight to chase history for a third UFC belt, and top-15 heavyweight Rodrigo Nascimento likes his chances against the elite of the division.

With only two defeats in seven octagon appearances and having beat the likes of Tanner Boser and Ilir Latifi, “Ze Colmeia” explained in an interview with MMA Fighting why he believes Pereira won’t be affected by the jump to a heavier weight class after already going from middleweight champion to light heavyweight titleholder.

“Once you’re over 205 pounds, brother, it’s all the same,” Nascimento said. “That’s why Alex is willing to move up. You have heavyweight strength already when you’re over 205, no doubt about it.”

Nascimento, who faces Alexandr Romanov at Saturday’s UFC Edmonton, sees names that “in theory” could be bad match-ups for “Poatan” at heavyweight, but he’s on such a roll at the moment, defending his 205-pound title three times in 2024, that he can overcome those challenges.

“I don’t think there are many good wrestlers in the division to take ‘Poatan’ down,” Nascimento said. “And the fight starts on the feet. He has good distance, he’s extremely experienced on the feet. I’m sure he’s training on the ground with Glover [Teixeira]. I think he will do well in this division.”

“I think a grappler could be a bad fight for him in this division. Jon Jones, maybe Tom Aspinall, but I think ‘Poatan’ can definitely beat Tom Aspinall, and maybe Jon Jones, too. If this Jon Jones fight happens, he can be very dangerous in the first rounds. Jon Jones is spectacular, as [Pereira] is, but I think he can beat the interim champion. The worst fight for him, without a doubt, is Jon Jones.”

Jones is slated to defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 on Nov. 16, and interim titleholder Aspinall serves as a potential replacement on the card. The UFC has yet to announce who’s next for Pereira’s belt at 205-pound. Meanwhile, Nascimento works his way back up after having his three-fight winning streak snapped by Derrick Lewis in the main event of UFC St. Louis back in May.

“Ze Colmeia” said he has learned important lessons against Lewis, like coming in lighter to the cage, but there were upsides from headlining a first UFC event, such as a very lucrative new UFC deal for double the pay. Either way, he promises to a “very different” version of “Ze Colmeia” this Saturday against Romanov, who was choked by Jailton Almeida in under three minutes back in June.

“I saw him this week at the hotel and he’s big, probably walking around 277 pounds,” Nascimento said of Romanov, who won six of nine in the UFC. “Romanov is a grappler and works the body, shoots for single leg takedowns, but I’m a jiu-jitsu guy, too. I’ll put the pressure, take him down and tap him in the first round. I’ll use my ground and pound and I know he will give away his back when he gets desperate, and then I’ll submit him.”