"He's a little too basic when it comes to striking" - Luis Pena reveals Alex Munoz's weakness ahead of their UFC Vegas 24 fight [Exclusive]

UFC lightweight Luis Pena has revealed the weaknesses in Alex Munoz's game that he believes he can exploit when the pair clash at UFC Vegas 24 on Saturday.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda ahead of his eighth UFC fight, Pena spoke about his preparations for his latest walk to the octagon, his UFC record and his opponent.

Opposite Luis Pena will be Alex Munoz. The 31-year-old was undefeated before Nasrat Haqparast handed him his first MMA loss on his UFC debut this past August.

Needing to make an impact in the promotion, he'll surely take the fight to Pena and it should make for an exciting matchup.

Luis Pena explains Munoz's weaknesses

Since moving to a 5-0 record after his UFC debut, Luis Pena's results have been inconsistent. Against Munoz, 'Violent Bob Ross' will be looking for a win that could signify the start of a streak in the promotion.

When asked if he had noticed any weaknesses during Munoz's loss to Haqparast, Pena told us -

"I can't lie, there were a few things I saw in that fight that I believe I'm gonna be able to take advantage of, for sure. There are definitely some things that I think he does very well, you know, he's actually a very well-rounded fighter, he's not bad on the feet and he's a solid, solid wrestler on the ground. I don't know how good his Jiu-Jitsu is..." Luis Pena said.

But whilst he admits Munoz boasts strong wrestling skills, Luis Pena believes he'll have the edge in a striking battle -

"I think he's a little too basic when it comes to striking, he's very fundamentalist. And I think against a guy like me who has really good fundamentals, but then can also mix up some very dynamic strikes and dynamic techniques and kind of has more knowledge in the stand-up realm, I think he's gonna need a little bit more than that (fundamentals) to be able to compete."

When @MetroBoomin don't trust you pic.twitter.com/G6udFfQtA4

— Luis Antonio Pena (@violentbobross) January 9, 2017

Pena has never been so focused

Luis Pena last entered the octagon in June 2020. After getting caught in a guillotine choke, the 27-year-old was submitted by underdog Khama Worthy.

Now set to make his first appearance of 2021, Pena gave us some insight into how he's feeling ahead of UFC Vegas 24 -

"I'm feeling amazing actually. I can't lie, I've had some ups and downs in this camp because I have a tendency to almost overwork myself. But after taking a little bit of time to rest and recover during camp. I came back and my coaches were just blown away by how much that really helped me grow..."

Needing a big rebound performance on Saturday, Pena says he's as focused as he's ever been, and his coaches have seen a new side to the prospect. He said -

"They've all been telling me they've never seen me as focused and as sharp as I have been these last few weeks."

Luis Pena is unfazed by 'bad luck'

The 27-year-old has had his fair share of 'bad luck'. Luis Pena competed on The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated in 2018, representing Team Cormier. His run on the show was cut short following a foot injury during his quarter-final matchup.

Nevertheless, Dana White promised him a fight on the finale card, and he went on to submit Richie Smullen with a first-round choke. Luis Pena’s 3-3 record since really doesn’t tell the tale of his MMA abilities and his sky-high potential.

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A close split decision loss to Michael Trizano added a first defeat to his record, and he was extremely unlucky to fall victim to a decision loss to Matt Frevola in 2019. On MMA Decisions, 55% of fans gave the fight to Pena.

When asked if he thinks his 4-3 UFC record reflects harshly on his performances inside the octagon, Luis Pena responded -

"A little bit, but at the same time, it's like I've been saying in a couple of interviews I've had this week, I came into the UFC at 4-0 off of The Ultimate Fighter and there's not a lot of guys who start their UFC careers that early in their professional mixed martial arts career. So it was a bit of me adjusting to the bright lights and kind of figuring that out, just kind of navigating growing up in the public eye like that and trying to mature as a fighter and as a man."

Pena went on to admit there are some decisions on his record that frustrate him, but he doesn't want to dwell on past results that haven't gone his way -

"At this point in my career I could care less, it is what it is, do I look back on the 4-3 record and think 'ah man, what am I doing?' No."

Luis Pena brought up his MMA idol as an example of a fighter who recovered from early losses to become one of the greatest of all time. Pena believes he can still do the same -

"I tell myself every day, Anderson Silva had four losses before he was even picked up by the UFC and he is my favorite fighter of all time. I looked to him when I was a high school wrestler for inspiration because he was this skinny dude like me and piecing up and breaking these big, muscled-up guys that were in front of him. So for me, I look at those guys, I look at the guys that, you know, went through a little bit of adversity and still were able to turn their careers into legendary status. I still have the ability to go out there and do that." Luis Pena said.

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UFC Vegas 24: Whittaker vs. Gastelum

Luis Pena opens this weekend's main card alongside Alex Munoz in a lightweight matchup. The intriguing bout will set the stage for what should be an exciting card, headlined by two top middleweight contenders Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum.

What are your predictions for the fight? Leave your thoughts in the comment section!