We are just five days away from the biggest event in our promotion’s history. On November 16, Brawl in the Burgh 2 goes down from the Printscape Arena in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. You’ve already got to know many of the fighters on this star-studded card (including the main event participants), and now it’s time to be introduced to the two men who will square off in the co-main event. Joey Munoz will battle Yuri Villefort in a matchup of battle-tested veterans with a lot of experience under their belts. These are two of the toughest fighters around and you are not going to want to miss this showdown.
Red Corner- Joey Munoz
Fans who attended our promotion’s inaugural event will remember the name Joey Munoz, and for good reason. He went the distance with our former lightweight champion and now UFC fighter Khama Worthy in the main event on that card. Despite battling some health issues on that night, Munoz took some of Worthy’s absolute best shots in that fight and kept coming forward. Anyone who saw that fight will not be the least bit surprised to learn that Munoz has never been finished by strikes in his entire MMA career. Making the trip to the Steel City from Nebraska, Joey Munoz is in a much better place physically now than he was back in April.
“I had dislocated my thumb on one hand and my first two fingers on the other hand. I made the mistake of taking another fight in June, thinking I was healed enough, just to re-injure both hands again. Spent a lot of time to take care of them and had them put back in place. I feel much healthier than I was before,” Munoz said. Along with his physical ailments, Joey Munoz learned a lot about his fight preparation during that fight. “It reminded me that no matter how good a fighter is, if you don’t take care of yourself during camp, it really shows on your performance. It made me sit back and look at my roots and how I kept healthy back then which was really good for me.”
“I’m looking to walk out of there with my hand raised”
Joey Munoz was originally set to take on Pittsburgh MMA legend Mark Cherico in this fight, but the opponent change hasn’t affected his preparation. “I’ve learned that opponents can change at a moment’s notice, so it’s nothing new for me.” When Joey Munoz took a bareknuckle fight on three days notice up two weight classes, it was a clear indication of his mindset as a fighter. Anytime, any place, anybody.
Stepping into the cage with a former UFC and PFL fighter presents Munoz with a unique opportunity in his still young career. “I’m definitely not looking past him; he has been around the fight game awhile and knows what he’s doing. Despite all that, I do believe a win over him will without a doubt put eyes on me and help me reach that next step in my career.” One thing is for sure. Based on his last two opponents here at 247 FC, there is no doubt that Joey Munoz will never shy away from fighting the best of the best.
“I’m looking forward to stepping in there with a very experienced fighter. I can’t wait to be back in Pittsburgh. And I’m looking to walk out with my hand raised and another tally chalked up in the win column.” Do not let the polite side of Joey Munoz fool you. He is one of the toughest fighters that you’ll see on this card, and you will not want to miss him in the co-main event.
Blue Corner- Yuri Vellifort
Across from Munoz on Saturday night will be another tough fighter in Yuri Villefort. Through 25 career fights, Villefort, like Munoz, has never been finished by strikes. This includes one fight in Strikeforce, two in the UFC, and two in PFL. Yuri Villefort comes into this fight with a lot of experience under the brightest lights.
The name Villefort might sound familiar to Pittsburgh MMA fans. Yuri Villefort’s brother (who also fought in the same major promotions as Yuri) Danillo Villefort is the owner of Indio Dojo, a gym in Pittsburgh which features two other fighters on this card. Having a brother who knows so much about MMA has had a huge impact on Yuri Villefort’s career so far. “Having my brother by my side is just a blessing. He fought in every major organization and trained with the best in the world. Because of him, so many doors have opened for me in different aspects of life,” he said. Due to the short notice nature of this fight, Villefort wasn’t able to make the trip up from Florida to train with Danillo ahead of this fight. But, he says the two talk often and remain on the same page.
The short notice nature of this fight is not something that concerns Villefort. “I’ve been consistent in rebuilding myself since my last loss. I was training everyday for a year, I just didn’t want to go around asking for a fight,” he said. “But when the opportunity knocked on my door, I took it because I knew I was ready.”
“My plan is to finish him – on the feet or on the ground”
Yuri Villefort was able to familiarize himself with Joey Munoz ahead of this fight, and he was impressed with what he saw. “He’s for sure a tough guy. But, my plan is to focus on me and finish him on the feet or on the ground.”
In this fight, Villefort recognized that there is a lot at stake for him and the future of his career. “I need to look good in every fight, that’s how you get back to the major promotions. But I’m enjoying the process of rebuilding and coming back a different version of myself. I’m far from done,” he said. Despite his major edge in the experience department, Yuri Villefort is taking nothing for granted in this fight. “I trained with a lot of different looks, hard rounds with tough guys all over. But, the beauty of fighting is that anything can happen when the cage door closes.”
What does Yuli Villefort want Pittsburgh fans to remember about him after the fight is over? His answer is very clear. “I’m going to make them remember a real fighter, fighting for his family legacy and true passion for martial arts.”
High Level MMA Action
Both of these fighters have so much in common coming into this fight. Each guy is polite in humble in his approach, but both are ready to take the other’s head off when the cage door closes. Neither guy has ever been knocked out, but they will each do their best to put the other one away. And each is looking to catch the eyes of the major MMA promotions in this fight. When it all goes down, something has to give. And you don’t want to miss it.
To order tickets to see Joey Munoz, Yuri Villefort, and the rest of our awesome fighters at #BitB2, visit 247fighting.com.