Heading into his fight with Tim Boetsch, we showed you the body transformation Mark Munoz went through in all of its glory. But, it’s one thing to get in great shape and cut the fat, and it’s another to get in a fight with Tim Boetsch after a year layoff that featured multiple surgeries and mental setbacks. We all knew Mark Munoz was a rising contender in the middleweight division, but his injuries piled up, and then he piled on the pounds, which led to a sluggish performance against Chris Weidman.
At UFC 162, Munoz stepped back into the Octagon and had something to prove:
“I thought to myself, whoa, this is what it’s like to be in a fight again.” Munoz said. “No ring rust, I could’ve (gone) another three rounds. I was in great shape. I wanted people to see that I was improved. I wanted to show people how different I was from fighting Weidman the first time.”
And he did look different, especially physically, but when it really comes down to it: Munoz looked like his old self on the ground, dominating Boetsch and laying into his body and head with those signature Donkey Kong punches that only Mark Munoz can seem to deliver. Munoz expanded on his moveset by throwing more combinations on the feet than he ever has in his career, and hit a second wind in the middle of the fight that would make anyone think twice before fighting him. So what’s next for this ‘new’ Mark Munoz? While he didn’t say he was a top three fighter in the middleweight division, he believed he belonged “in the top, somewhere,” so the conversation naturally would go to perennial contender Michael Bisping and if he would consider a rematch with Chris Weidman.
“I’m ready to fight for a title, I know I can beat Chris Weidman, and he can roll his eyes however he wants, beacuase he rolled his eyes at that at the press conference, and having said that: Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort would be a complete honor and I know I could beat those guys too. I know I can beat those guys and I know it’s a good fight for me and it will get me one step closer to my goal.”
