3 key questions ahead of UFC Fight Night: Munhoz vs. Edgar

Bantamweights Pedro Munhoz and Frankie Edgar will meet Saturday in the UFC Fight Night headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Here are three key questions heading into the event.

How will Edgar look in new division?

Edgar is headed down to 135 pounds for the first time in his career. It's a long-awaited move from the former lightweight champion and featherweight contender, who has talked about the possibility for a few years and has had serious plans in place since last summer.

After his failed bid for the featherweight title against Max Holloway in July 2019, "The Answer" vowed to finally drop down a weight class. Edgar was scheduled to make his bantamweight debut against Cory Sandhagen in January, but he agreed to a short-notice featherweight contest against Chan Sung Jung instead. Edgar lost that fight via first-round TKO and hasn't stepped into the Octagon since.

It's tough to say how the 38-year-old will look as a bantamweight. Will he be phenomenal? I doubt it. But will he show up in poor form? Probably not. If Edgar decided to move down a few years ago, people likely would've been more optimistic (and intrigued). But now, this feels like somewhat of a desperate move to get his career back on track after losing three of his last four bouts. It's obvious that Edgar is past his prime, and switching divisions late in one's career - especially going down in weight - rarely works out.

That's not to say it can't for Edgar, who's small for the featherweight division and very small for lightweight by today's standards. The weight cut shouldn't be a huge issue, so there's a decent chance he'll be a fine fit for the bantamweight division. But the former champ - who faces a tough test in Munhoz - won't be completely transformed. At the end of the day, the 32-fight veteran is only getting older; cutting 10 extra pounds won't change that.

Will Munhoz return to contention?

Munhoz will return to the cage after a 14-month layoff, and he'll look to get back into title contention with a win over Edgar.

The Brazilian fell short against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 238 in June 2019 in what many considered a No. 1 contender bout. Before that, though, Munhoz had won three straight, including first-round finishes over former champ Cody Garbrandt and Bryan Caraway.

It's clear that Munhoz, who's ranked No. 5 in the division, is one of the top bantamweights on the planet. If he can stay active after this weekend's main event (and if he beats Edgar), it wouldn't be surprising to see the 33-year-old climb to the top of the weight class and eventually earn a title shot.

A win over Edgar wouldn't move Munhoz any further up in the division, since this is Edgar's first bantamweight bout and it's difficult to gauge exactly how good he is in 2020. But it would still be a big name added to Munhoz's resume, so it's crucial that the American Top Team product walks away victorious Saturday. From there, Munhoz - who also boasts wins over Rob Font and Brett Johns - would be able to continue working his way up the 135-pound ladder against another top contender.

What else is there to keep an eye on?

Fans should watch out for Mariya Agapova, a 23-year-old women's flyweight prospect who's scheduled to make her second Octagon appearance against Shana Dobson.

Agapova, a native of Kazakhstan, looked phenomenal in her UFC debut earlier this summer, stopping Hannah Cifers via rear-naked choke in the first round after a striking clinic. Agapova's performance was dominant from start to finish, and it had viewers wanting to see more. If she keeps this up, Agapova could become a force to be reckoned with.

Fans should also keep an eye on Timur Valiev, a former bantamweight standout in the PFL and WSOF. After being forced out of his UFC debut earlier in August due to visa issues, Valiev is set to make his inaugural walk to the Octagon against Trevin Jones in the opening bout of Saturday's card.

Valiev owns a 16-2 record and has won six straight fights against the likes of current UFC fighter Chris Gutierrez, Bekbulat Magomedov, and Max Coga. The Russian native seems likely to eventually become a contender in the 135-pound weight class.