Muñoz wants in on UFC Fight Night Manila

MANILA, Philippines – Although he is booked to compete in less than two weeks from now, Filipino-American fighter Mark Muñoz has expressed his interest to be part of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first live event in the country on May 16.

When the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization formally announced its maiden trip to the Philippines last January 29, Muñoz’s name immediately surfaced  as the potential candidate to headline the UFC Fight Night 65 card, which is set to take place at the 20,000-seater SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Metro Manila.

“I love the fact that the UFC has expanded into the Philippines. The impact of the UFC’s arrival will mark the beginning of the expansion of MMA in the Philippines and more people will participate in it. I would love to lead the charge in the expansion of MMA in The Philippines,” he told Rappler about his thoughts on UFC’s first venture on Philippine soil.

However, Muñoz remains out of the equation as he is slated to square off with Roan Carneiro in a three-round middleweight tussle at the UFC 184 pay-per-view affair on February 28 (March 1 in PH).

Muñoz’s Octagon meeting with Carneiro also serves as his comeback bout after spending nearly a year on the sidelines due to an injury.

The 37-year-old Muñoz (13-5) was last seen in action last May 31 (June 1 in PH) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 41, where he was forced to submit for the very first time in his prizefighting career by Gegard Mousasi with a rear-naked choke in round one.

In addition, it was later revealed that “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” tore his medial collateral ligament (MCL) and strained his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during his 185-pound clash with Mousasi.

Despite having a 1-3 record in four matches and suffering a knee injury in his most recent outing, the UFC renewed Muñoz’s contract and made a four-fight agreement with him this past June.

On the other hand, Carneiro (19-9) competed five times under the UFC banner from 2007 to 2008, but he was released from the promotion after having a lackluster 2-3 standing in his aforementioned run.

The 26-year-old native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil had only fought once a year after receiving the pink slip from the UFC, but he made up for lost time last October when he won three fights in one night to win the inaugural Battle Grounds MMA tournament.

After more than six years away from the UFC cage, Carneiro was offered a multi-fight deal, which included a bout to face Muñoz.

“Roan Carniero is a formidable opponent. He is very well rounded and a veteran of the sport. Having said that, I feel comfortable with the match up and look forward to executing what I’ve been practicing in this camp,” Muñoz said about his foe.

According to Muñoz, he made necessary adjustments in training camp due to his desire of putting himself back on the winning track.

“I’ve made a lot of adjustments. I am not running my own camp anymore. I’ve lessened my responsibilities at my gym. I’ve lightened up my load and have coaches specifically helping me to improve or refine my game. I have been training the same way for six years, and finally, I have changed my camp around and made it better,” he shared.

Even with a scheduled bout at the end of the month, Muñoz is not closing his doors on the possibility that he could don the nation’s colors at UFC Fight Night 65.

“I do not want to miss participating in this event. I’ve been waiting for long time for this to happen and will not miss it,” Muñoz stressed. – Rappler.com