LAS VEGAS – Pedro Munhoz isn’t very much into talking trash about his opponents.

You might have noticed that from, you know, all of the interviews Munhoz has given on the lead-up to his UFC fights. But it became all the more apparent at a press conference for UFC 235 last month, when Munhoz politely declined a challenge to name one thing he didn’t like about opponent Cody Garbrandt.

That day, Munhoz (17-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) promised he’d get better at the “trash-talking thing.” But now, just a few days ahead of his bantamweight clash with Garbrandt (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC), Munhoz playfully confessed that he hasn’t.

“If I try to do something like that, it’s going to look sort of fake,” Munhoz told MMAjunkie at a media day on Wednesday. “And it’s going to look bad, so I prefer to (be) myself, and be honest with myself and be honest with the fans.”

The lack of tension between Munhoz and former UFC champion Garbrandt was clear later on Wednesday, after the media day interviews, when the ex-champ mouthed the words “he’s a good guy” following a friendly face-off.

Asked for the reason why he’s refrained from engaging in negative verbal interactions with his opponents, Munhoz pointed to his background in martial arts. The Brazilian started in judo, still as “a small kid” and then went to jiu-jitsu – both sports in which trash-talking isn’t typically present.

Emphasis on “typically.”

“Jiu-jitsu, right now, they’re starting to do the trash-talk – which, if you guys saw it, last weekend, (there) was a big thing,” Munhoz said. “And a big part of that is the promoters trying to do the trash-talking in jiu-jitsu and the opponents starting – jiu-jitsu is different, the next day you’re not going to punch each other in the face. We’re not going to go there and literally punch each other in the face. And things can go wrong.

“An example of that was last Saturday in Brazil. A lot of people judging the guy right now, but I understand sort of, like, his point of view, too. He took that personal. We can take it personal here, because we’re going to fight. We’re going to fight, you know what I mean. And after the fight, it’s a different thing, But in jiu-jitsu it’s a little bit different.”

Munhoz is referring to the infamous incident that took place during BJJ All Stars in Sao Paulo. After suffering an apparent injury during his match with Felipe Pena, Erberth Santos charged across the mat toward someone in the crowd, kicking off a full-on brawl.

Santos later took to social media to give his side. The multiple-time IBJJF champion said that his attitude was “totally wrong,” but explained that it was motivated by taunts and insults he’d been getting all day, including from members of other teams. Among those insults, Santos said, there were racist slurs and attacks on his mom.

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In any case, showing respect toward his opponents hasn’t stopped Munhoz from beating the vast majority of them.

Currently on a two-fight winning streak, including a recent finish of longtime contender Bryan Caraway, Munhoz won six out of his past seven bouts. The sole loss there, to John Dodson, was a split decision that Munhoz never quite agreed with. The Brazilian bantamweight’s only career losses before that had been yet another split call, to fellow contender Jimmie Rivera, and a unanimous decision to Raphael Assuncao – whom Munhoz faced in a short-notice UFC debut.

A win over a former champion on Saturday would undeniably be big for Munhoz, but it’s hard to predict what exactly it would mean when it comes to his future. After all, it’s hard to predict anything that’s going to happen in the muddy bantamweight division.

What we do know is that, after failing to capture Henry Cejudo’s flyweight belt, champ T.J. Dillashaw has shown interest in a rematch. And that other fighters in the division aren’t too happy about that – including Marlon Moraes, who believes his recent win over Assuncao has earned him the right to challenge for his the title.

Munhoz, himself, has been too focused on the task at hand to put too much thought into what comes next. But he does have an idea.

“After finishing him Saturday night, I will see,” Munhoz said. “I will definitely think I deserve – if I finish him, if I (make) a big statement, if I go and knock him out or submit him, I do believe I have to be the next challenger for the title.

“I have been fighting in the UFC longer, I have finished a lot of fights. But if it doesn’t happen and UFC thinks I should fight Marlon for the interim title, I would be happy about it. We can make that fight happen in Rio and in Sao Paulo.”

To hear more from Munhoz, check out the video above.

And for more on UFC 235, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.