Born in Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, André Muniz was a very active teenager, which made his mother sign him up for Jiu-Jitsu classes to see if he could get calmer and more disciplined. It worked, Muniz fell in love with martial arts, and started practicing Muay Thai too.
After two wins in Dana White's Contender Series, Muniz signed with the UFC and made his promotional debut against Antônio Arroyo at UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Jacaré on November 16, 2019. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Muniz faced multiple-time Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Ronaldo Souza at UFC 262 on May 15, 2021.[16] He won the fight via technical submission in the first round after breaking Souza's arm in an armbar, becoming the first person to submit Souza in the process.
“Sergipano” was 14-3 as a professional and victorious in eight straight fights when he jumped on an opportunity to compete in Russia, where he faced Azamat Murzakanov in a light heavyweight contest. Muniz went on to lose the fight in just 50 seconds.
“I’m very grateful for all the people that helped me, but we’re talking about a world-class level of competition,” Muniz said in a recent episode of MMA Fighting podcast Trocação Franca. “I had already decided I was going to stop [fighting], so to look back at myself fighting for regional promotions and then be on the Contender [Series] and be ranked today, I always tell my teammates that hard work pays off.