Bantamweight star Sean O’Malley is looking for “Prelim Pedro” to sign on the dotted line.
A fight between O’Malley (15-1) and Pedro Munhoz (19-7, 1NC) is in the works for July 2’s UFC 276, Cageside Press has confirmed. O’Malley himself addressed the news, posting a video message on his verified social media accounts directed at Munhoz, following an initial report by ESPN.
Earlier Tuesday, O’Malley vs. Munhoz was one of several UFC match-ups leaked from the promotion’s “war room” during an interview with Dana White. While a small number of the match-ups have been confirmed, others are apparently news to the fighters themselves.
O’Malley vs. Munhoz, however, is indeed in the works for UFC 276, which is shaping up to be a massive card. O’Malley will enter the fight looking for his fourth straight win, after picking up post-fight bonuses in his last three outings. Knockouts of Thomas Almeida and Raulian Paiva earned him a pair of Performance of the Night bonuses, while O’Malley’s three-rounder with Kris Moutinho picked up Fight of the Night at UFC 264 last July.
Munoz has been on the opposite trajectory of late, losing his last two bouts. Most recently, he dropped a unanimous decision against ex-champ Dominick Cruz at UFC 269 back in December.
UFC 276 is expected to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 2, 2022. The following bouts have been reported for the card thus far:
- Miesha Tate vs. Lauren Murphy
- Jessica Eye vs. Maycee Barber
- Brad Tavares vs. Dricus du Plessis
- Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Julija Stoliarenko
- Uriah Hall vs. André Muniz
- Robbie Lawler vs. Bryan Barberena
- Sean Strickland vs. Alex Pereira
- Sean O’Malley vs. Pedro Munhoz
