- Mark Muñoz
-
Mark Muñoz 
Born February 19, 1978
Yokosuka, Japan (US Military base)Other names "The Filipino Wrecking Machine" Nationality American Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Weight 186 lb (84.4 kg; 13.3 st) Division Middleweight (2009 – present)
Light Heavyweight (2007–2009)Reach 71 in (180 cm) Style Wrestling, Boxing Stance Orthodox Fighting out of Lake Forest, California, United States Team Kings MMA
Reign Training CenterRank Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Wrestling NCAA Division I Wrestling Years active 2007-present Mixed martial arts record Total 14 Wins 12 By knockout 6 By submission 1 By decision 5 Losses 2 By knockout 1 By decision 1 Other information University Oklahoma State University[1] Notable school(s) Vallejo High School Website http://www.markmunoz.net/ Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog last updated on: October 11, 2011 Mark Muñoz (born February 9, 1978) is an American mixed martial artist of Filipino descent currently fighting in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Muñoz is known for his wrestling ability and his relentless ground-and-pound. As of October 2011, Muñoz is ranked as the #5 middleweight fighter in the world by Sherdog.[2]
Contents
Early life
Muñoz was born on a US Military Base in Yokosuka, Japan to Filipino parents from Manila, Philippines. At the age of 2, Muñoz and his family relocated and settled in the former US Navy town of Vallejo, California.
High school and Collegiate wrestling
In high school, Muñoz was a two-time California State Wrestling Champion at 189 pounds for Vallejo High School, Asics First Team All American and the 1996 NHSCA National High School Champion.
As a collegian at Oklahoma State University, Muñoz captured two Big 12 titles and earned back-to-back All-America honors at 197 pounds, including his NCAA title as a senior in 2001. He became the first Filipino American at the Division I Level to win a National Championship. He also made the NWCA All-Academic Team for three years and the Big 12 All-Academic squad for four. Additionally, Muñoz was a three-year member of the FILA Junior World Wrestling Team, earning the silver medal in 1998.
Muñoz received a Bachelors of Science Degree in Health Science from Oklahoma State University.
Muñoz continues to give back to the wrestling community by offering a 5 to 10 day wrestling camp for high school athletes in Ocean Side, California. He brings in wrestlers from Cal Poly, Fullerton, and Oregon to help the kids. Also Muñoz brings in Coach Calivitta and many other great clinicians like Uriah Faber, Joe Heskett, and even the wrestling great and his coach John Smith.
Mixed martial arts career
World Extreme Cagefighting
Muñoz made his WEC debut at WEC 34 on June 1, 2008 in the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. Muñoz defeated Chuck Grigsby via TKO (punches) at 4:15 of the first round.[3]
Muñoz was slated to fight Steve Steinbeiss in WEC 36 on November 5, 2008,[4] but due to an undisclosed reason he was replaced by TUF alum Alex Schoenauer.[5]
Muñoz defeated Ricardo Barros on December 3, 2008 for WEC's year-end event, WEC 37 via TKO (punches).[6]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Muñoz was one of the chosen few to be relocated to WEC's sister promotion—which is also owned and produced by Zuffa—along with light heavyweight champion Steve Cantwell, light heavyweight contenders Brian Stann and Steve Steinbeiss and middleweight contenders Chael Sonnen and Nissen Osterneck.[7][8][9]
On March 7, 2009, Muñoz made his UFC debut at UFC 96. Muñoz suffered the first loss of his career and was rendered unconscious by a brutal head kick from UFC veteran Matt Hamill during the first round. Following the stoppage, Muñoz remained down on the mat for several minutes, eventually leaving the cage wearing a neck brace.[10]
On August 29, 2009 at UFC 102, Muñoz bounced back from his first defeat and answered the critics by winning a close split decision (28–29, 30–27 and 29–28) to UFC up and comer Nick Catone.
On January 2, 2010 at UFC 108, Muñoz faced and defeated MMA veteran Ryan Jensen via submission (punches) at the 2:30 mark of the first round. He showcased some vicious ground and pound.[11]
Muñoz defeated The Ultimate Fighter 3 winner Kendall Grove on April 10, 2010 at UFC 112, by referee stoppage in the 2nd round, also winning the Fight of the Night honors.[12]
Muñoz was defeated by Yushin Okami on August 1, 2010 at UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko[13] where he lost by split decision. In this fight, Muñoz was unable to utilize his infamous ground and pound due to Okami's ability to defend his takedowns.
Muñoz defeated Aaron Simpson on November 20, 2010 at UFC 123[14] by unanimous decision.
Muñoz defeated TUF 7 finalist C.B. Dollaway at UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann on March 3, 2011 via first round KO. Muñoz landed a right hand that floored Dollaway, where he then followed up with some ground and pound which secured him the victory.
Muñoz defeated Demian Maia on June 11, 2011 by unanimous decision at UFC 131.[15].
Muñoz defeated Chris Leben on November 5, 2011 by corner stoppage at UFC 138.[16] The stoppage was due to the ground and pound of Muñoz that opened a cut over Leben's eye, rendering him unable to see, making him unable to continue the fight.
Personal life
Mark and his wife have four children, and live in Mission Viejo, California.
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Fight of the Night (One time)
Amateur wrestling
- FILA Wrestling World Championships
- USA FILA Junior World Freestyle Championships
- USA FILA Junior World Freestyle Championship 182.5 1b - Winner (1998)[19]
Collegiate wrestling
- National Collegiate Athletic Association
- NCAA Division I 197 1b - 3rd place out of Oklahoma State University (2000)[20]
- NCAA Division I 197 1b - Champion out of Oklahoma State University (2001)[21]
Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown 14 matches 12 wins 2 losses By knockout 6 1 By submission 1 0 By decision 5 1 Result Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes Win 12-2 Chris Leben TKO (corner stoppage) UFC 138 November 5, 2011 2 5:00 Birmingham, England Win 11–2 Demian Maia Decision (unanimous) UFC 131 June 11, 2011 3 5:00 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Win 10–2 C.B. Dollaway KO (punches) UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann March 3, 2011 1 0:54 Louisville, Kentucky, United States Win 9–2 Aaron Simpson Decision (unanimous) UFC 123 November 20, 2010 3 5:00 Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States Loss 8–2 Yushin Okami Decision (split) UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko August 1, 2010 3 5:00 San Diego, California, United States Win 8–1 Kendall Grove TKO (punches) UFC 112 April 10, 2010 2 2:50 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Fight of the Night Win 7–1 Ryan Jensen Submission (punches) UFC 108 January 2, 2010 1 2:30 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win 6–1 Nick Catone Decision (split) UFC 102 August 29, 2009 3 5:00 Portland, Oregon, United States Middleweight Debut Loss 5–1 Matt Hamill KO (head kick) UFC 96 March 7, 2009 1 3:53 Columbus, Ohio, United States Win 5–0 Ricardo Barros TKO (punches) WEC 37 December 3, 2008 1 2:26 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win 4–0 Chuck Grigsby TKO (punches) WEC 34 June 1, 2008 1 4:15 Sacramento, California, United States Win 3–0 Tony Rubalcava Decision (unanimous) PFC 4: Project Complete October 18, 2007 3 3:00 Lemoore, California, United States Win 2–0 Mike Pierce Decision (unanimous) GC 69: Bad Intentions September 22, 2007 3 5:00 Sacramento, California, United States Win 1–0 Austin Achorn TKO (punches) PFC 3: Step Up July 19, 2007 1 1:25 Lemoore, California, United States References
- ^ http://www.markmunoz.net/mark-munoz-to-make-middleweight-debut-vs-nick-catone-at-ufc-102
- ^ "Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings". sherdog.com. October 11, 2011. http://www.sherdog.com/news/rankings/4/Sherdog-Official-Mixed-Martial-Arts-Rankings-36368. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
- ^ WEC | World Extreme Cagefighting
- ^ "STEVE STEINBEISS VS MARK MUNOZ AT WEC 36". MMAWeekly.com. July 12, 2008. http://mmaweekly.com/steve-steinbeiss-vs-mark-munoz-at-wec-36-2. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
- ^ http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2008/08/25/tuf-1-and-ifl-alum-alex-schoenauer-to-make-wec-debut-on-sept-10/
- ^ Mike Fridley. "OSU Wrestlers Dominate WEC Undercard". Sherdog. http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/osu-wrestlers-dominate-wec-undercard-15383.
- ^ http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2008/09/26/wec-announces-miguel-torres-vs-manny-tapia-for-title-on-dec-3-will-drop-middleweight-and-light-heavyweight-divisions-in-2009/
- ^ http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2008/08/30/wec-moving-closer-towards-elimination-of-middleweight-and-light-heavyweight-divisions/
- ^ "WEC veteran Mark Munoz headed to the UFC in 2009". MMAjunkie. http://mmajunkie.com/news/13423/wec-veteran-mark-munoz-headed-to-the-ufc.mma.
- ^ http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-96-Live-Play-by-Play-16462
- ^ "UFC 108 Results and Live Play-by-Play". SHERDOG.com. 2010-01-03. http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-108-Results-and-Live-Play-by-Play-21765. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
- ^ "Kendall Grove vs. Mark Munoz in the works for UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi". MMAjunkie.com. 2010-01-18. http://mmajunkie.com/news/17556/kendall-grove-vs-mark-munoz-in-the-works-for-ufc-112-in-abu-dhabi.mma.
- ^ "UFC ON VERSUS 2 LIVE RESULTS & PLAY-BY-PLAY". MMAWeekly.com. 2010-08-01. http://mmaweekly.com/ufc-on-versus-2-live-results-play-by-play-2.
- ^ "UFC 123 Live Play-By-Play: Mark Munoz vs. Aaron Simpson". MMAWeekly.com. 2010-11-19. http://mmaweekly.com/ufc-123-live-play-by-play-mark-munoz-vs-aaron-simpson.
- ^ "UFC 131: Mark Munoz vs Demian Maia in the works for June 11 in Vancouver". mmamania.com. March 12, 2011. http://www.mmamania.com/2011/3/11/2044950/ufc-131-mark-munoz-vs-demian-maia-in-the-works-for-june-11-in.
- ^ "Chris Leben vs. Mark Munoz headlines UFC 138 in Birmingham, England". mmajunkie.com. 2011-07-19. http://mmajunkie.com/news/24468/chris-leben-vs-mark-munoz-headlines-ufc-138-in-birmingham-england.mma.
- ^ http://www.wrestlinghalloffame.org/wrestlers.php?wrestler=2483
- ^ http://www.wrestlinghalloffame.org/wrestlers.php?wrestler=2483
- ^ http://www.wrestlinghalloffame.org/wrestlers.php?wrestler=2483
- ^ http://www.wrestlinghalloffame.org/wrestlers.php?wrestler=2483
- ^ http://www.wrestlinghalloffame.org/wrestlers.php?wrestler=2483
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External links
Categories:- Filipino mixed martial artists
- American people of Filipino descent
- American sportspeople of Filipino descent
- Middleweight mixed martial artists
- Light heavyweight mixed martial artists
- American mixed martial artists of Filipino descent
- Mixed martial artists from California
- American practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
- American Muay Thai practitioners
- American sport wrestlers
- Living people
- 1978 births
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
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