Mark Muñoz, one of the few fighters with Filipino roots making waves in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), may not be able to fight in six months due to an injured right hand he suffered from his recent bout. In a phone interview from Vallejo, California last week, Muñoz said he was suspended by the UFC from playing unless he presents an X-ray showing that his hand is already fine.
“I have to get an X-ray (showing my hand is ok) so that my suspension can be lifted,” Muñoz said.
The 31-year-old middleweight injured his hand during a first-round stoppage of Ryan Jensen in the UFC 108 last week at MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.
Muñoz’s victory was so impressive that he forced Jensen into submission with a ground attack 2:30 into the opening round. That triumph propelled Muñoz, a wrestling and muay specialist, to a second win in the UFC and a 7-1 record in mixed martial arts. Despite the unwelcome injury, the 6- foot Muñoz, known inside the octagon as “The Filipino Wrecking Machine,” vowed to get in top shape as he prepares for bigger fights this year.
“I’m still training six hours a day at Reign Training Center. It’s a good camp,” said Muñoz, who boasts of training in the same camp as UFC superstar Anderson Silva.
Muñoz, the 2001 NCAA Division I national wrestling champion and two-time NCAA All-American from Oklahoma State, said he is a big fan of Manny Pacquiao and that he wants to imitate him.
“He’s very compassionate to people and very passionate at what he does. I definitely want to be the Manny Pacquiao of MMA,” said Muñoz, who also speaks a little Tagalog and was born to Filipino parents in Japan.
Just like Pacquiao, getting to the top of his sport is not impossible for Muñoz, who is taking up a masters degree in Sports Psychology.
Muñoz’s recent victory actually made it two in a row for him since he went down from lightweight to middleweight class. Muñoz won his first UFC bout with a split decision over Nick Catone in UFC102 Couture vs. Nogeuira last Aug. 29 before this rousing victory over Jensen, who fell to his fifth defeat against 15 wins. Muñoz said he wants to be known by people as more than just a fighter.
