LAS VEGAS – It wasn’t how Andre Muniz envisioned a return to the win column, but he’ll take it.
After 15 minutes of close action against Junyong Park at UFC Fight Night 233, Muniz (24-6 MMA, 6-2 UFC) had to sweat out the reading of the judges’ split decision. After hearing two 29-28 scores in his favor, Muniz was relieved that his two-fight skid was snapped, but it wasn’t the performance he hoped for against Park (17-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC).
“Whenever you actually picture yourself having your hand raised, it’s obviously different,” Muniz told reporters through an interpreter at the post-fight news conference. “I picture myself having my hand raised after a great finish, but that’s what happened. You come out with a win, and let’s go back and work hard because 2024 is a year with a lot of promise.”
Muniz is ready to put his 2023 campaign in the rearview. For the first time in his career, he lost back-to-back fights. As a result, Muniz said changes were made in his training camp to add more sparring to aid with his conditioning. A mental shift was also necessary, as he went back to the mindset of his days ahead of his Dana White Contender Series appearance in 2019.
“I came back to my Contender days here when you’re actually fighting for a contract, so that’s the approach that I had,” Muniz said. “The UFC knows my potential and I expect to actually come back, work hard, go at it, and in no time I’ll be back at the top of this division again.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.