Michael Bisping was all riled up during the bantamweight main card bout between Jimmie Rivera and Pedro Munhoz at UFC Vegas 20. ‘The Count’ went off on Munhoz’s excellent execution of calf kicks that went on to heavily damage ‘El Terror’.
It was extremely impressive to watch Jimmie Rivera not just survive the onslaught of leg kicks, but also mount an impressive offense. However, it wouldn’t be enough as ‘The Young Punisher’ left the Apex Facility as the winner via unanimous decision on the card.
He’s got 9 wins in the UFC bantamweight division and came in with a number 8 ranking next to his name. Chiefly, he’ll be keeping a keen eye on the bantamweight title fight that goes down at UFC 259.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
"My calf is killing me."
Pedro Munhoz's calf kicks are affecting Jimmie Rivera 😬 #UFCVegas20 pic.twitter.com/k6sQu9t7Rh
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 28, 2021
As the fight progressed, it became more and more impressive to draw parallels from Dustin Poirier’s performance against McGregor at UFC 257. The devastation that calf kicks cause in a match-up is clear, and its implementation in MMA has seen a huge spike. ‘The Diamond’ sounded off on Twitter as he’s now the resident expert on calf kicks in the cage.
That leg is comprised!
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) February 28, 2021
UFC bantamweights: Pedro Munhoz vs Jimmie Rivera
It will be interesting to judge the fan and fighter reaction to Michael Bisping’s sentiments of making calf kicks illegal. ‘The Count spoke out on the broadcast and questioned whether the calf kicks should be made illegal outright. It’s become a go-to technique in recent years and has yielded excellent results when executed properly. Despite being aware of the kick, a large majority of fighters still don’t have a good defense against the limb destruction technique.
"Ultimate Calf Kicking Championship." Lol @bisping. Outdoes his line from earlier in the night about, 'I'm trying to sound smart and it's not working."
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) February 28, 2021
Rivera did his best, but it was clear that ‘El Terror’ was finding it difficult to navigate his way under the bright lights into rounds three. What’s more, it was his output that still went on to greatly impress everyone who tuned in to watch the bout.
Calf kicks hurt 😳
(📸 @ufc) #UFCVegas20 pic.twitter.com/XzBzQMSVqF
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) February 28, 2021
This is as violent as advertised so far, good lord.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) February 28, 2021
Beautiful performance from these guys! Congrats to Munhoz. Rivera is a badass but those calf kicks are no joke! #UFCVegas20
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) February 28, 2021
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Watching that fight hurt made my shins hurt
— Angela Hill (@AngieOverkill) February 28, 2021
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
It’s back to the drawing board for Rivera, who has had his fair share of difficulties as of late. However, he’s only lost to the very best at bantamweight, including the current world champion, Petr Yan. As for Munhoz, he’s eyeing a match-up with TJ Dillashaw like so many others in the weight class currently.
Would you like to see Munhoz use his devastating calf-kicks in his future fights?