Mark Muñoz gets occasional ‘itch’ to come out of retirement

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino-American fighter Mark Muñoz admitted that he has occasionally dealt with temptations to come out of retirement and wearing his gloves once more.

Muñoz is one of the few who managed to secure a triumphant epilogue to his professional career as “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” turned back the clock to dominate young English middleweight Luke Barnatt in his farewell fight on the undercard of the first UFC Fight Night Manila in May 2015.

Although he was coming off 3-straight stoppage setbacks, Muñoz returned to top physical form as he overpowered Barnatt over 3 rounds to sweep the judges’ sheets with the scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 30-27.

Muñoz overwhelmed Barnatt from start to finish with repetitive takedowns and solid overhand rights to negate the length and height leverage.

The pro-Muñoz crowd erupted in the dying seconds of the third round when he scored a single-leg takedown and concluded it with his signature “Donkey Kong” ground-and-pound.

Muñoz left his gloves at the center of the UFC cage as his sendoff gesture and delivered a heartfelt speech in his post-fight interview.

“I just spoke from my heart,” he told Rappler about his speech. “I am just being who I am. For me, I’ve always been talking about life and following your passion. Mixed martial arts and wrestling were an avenue for me to exemplify desire, diligence, discipline, dedication, character, integrity, and pride for my culture.” 

According to Muñoz, there are moments in his life as a retired mixed martial arts (MMA) combatant that make him miss the vibe of competing inside the Octagon.

“I do get an inch to come back. I help [and prepare] different guys out [in the UFC],” he said.

However, the 38-year-old native of Mission Viejo, California insisted that he would be true to his promise to retire as he is already satisfied sitting on the sidelines and teaching wrestling to other MMA athletes.

“I love teaching because that’s what I was before I got into the Octagon. I was able to coach the best in every division and every sport that I was in,” Muñoz stated.

After spending 8 years in MMA, Muñoz envisions himself spending time and extending his helping hand to young aspirants in achieving their dreams on the mat or inside the cage.

“That (retirement) is all about. It’s about coaching, teaching and giving my gifts,” he stressed. – Rappler.com