Pedro Munhoz steps in for Henry Cejudo against Marlon Vera at UFC 292

A battle between bantamweights Pedro Munhoz and Marlon Vera has been added to UFC 292.

The card is slated for August and will be the promotion’s return trip to Boston. At the top of the card, Aljamain Sterling is expected to return for yet another title defense against Sean O’Malley. ‘The Funk Master’ was confronted in the octagon by ‘Sugar’ after his win over Henry Cejudo in May.

Nonetheless, UFC 292 was supposed to feature ‘Triple C’ who was set to return against Marlon Vera. ‘Chito’ is coming off a split-decision loss to Cory Sandhagen in March. That victory halted his momentum, snapping a four-fight winning streak. In that stretch, he scored wins over names such as Frankie Edgar and Rob Font.

RELATED: ALJAMAIN STERLING SLAMS HENRY CEJUDO FOR PULLING OUT OF UFC 292: “DIRTY LITTLE WEASEL”

However, earlier this month, Henry Cejudo withdrew from his UFC 292 return due to injury. While it was unknown if Marlon Vera would remain on the card, they’ve now found a suitable replacement in Pedro Munhoz. ‘The Young Punisher’ is coming off a unanimous decision win over Chris Gutierrez at UFC Kansas City in April.

That victory was huge for the Brazilian, snapping a three-fight winless streak. Previously dropping decision losses to Dominick Cruz and Jose Aldo, he gets a chance to build on his momentum in August against Marlon Vera.

While the loss of Henry Cejudo hurt the card, Marlon Vera vs. Pedro Munhoz is still a phenomenal fight. Furthermore, it helps build upon an already stacked UFC 292 event. The co-main event features the return of Zhang Weili, as she defends her title against Amanda Lemos. Another key matchup is the return of Chris Weidman, back for the first time in over two years against Brad Tavares.

What do you make of this fight announcement? Are you excited about Marlon Vera vs. Pedro Munhoz?