Andre Muniz's goal of hitting rankings starts with 'big challenge' Ronaldo Souza at UFC 262

Andre Muniz is looking to fully capitalize on the massive opportunity ahead of him at UFC 262.

In just his third UFC fight, Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Muniz (20-4 MMA, 2-0 UFC) will take on former Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo Souza (26-9 MMA, 9-6 UFC) on May 15 in Toyota Center in Houston.

Although “Jacare” is currently on the first skid of his career with three straight losses, Muniz has a chance to take a big leap in the middleweight standings with a win over Souza.

“This is the second best streak in my career,” Muniz told MMA Junkie. “Early on, I managed to go on an eight-fight winning streak against the best talent in Brazil, such as former WEC champion Paulo Filho. Now I’m on a six-fight winning streak with two wins in Brazil, two in the Contender Series, and two in the UFC. It’s the product of a lot of hard work. My current goal is to be a ranked fighter in the UFC.

“It’s every fighter’s dream to be champion one day. I’d like to enter the rankings before the end of 2021. Hopefully by 2022, I can reach the top 10.”

Muniz knows grappling ace Souza will be no easy task. Souza has been a perennial middleweight contender for the majority of his career and has far more experience than Muniz does. But “Sergipano” understands that these are the kind of tests he needs to face if he wants to enter the upper echelon of the division.

“I have a big challenge ahead of me,” Muniz said. “I am very familiar with Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza. He has heavy hands, a very good game against the fence, and excellent jiu-jitsu. But I have no choice. I have to go through difficult opponents like him so I can reach higher goals. Everyone has holes in their game. ‘Jacare’ is no different, and neither am I.”