Issue 156

The 'Filipino Wrecking Machine' has spent an age under the knife due to injuries from in and out of the cage

INJURIES:

Munoz was set to face fellow wrestler and top contender Chael Sonnen at UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis in January 2012 yet had to pull out due to an elbow injury. When Munoz eventually had surgery, the doctors found 24 bone spurs and chips inside his elbow. He explained that with the surgery complete he was finally able to fully extend his elbow and not be limited to just throwing hooks. The recovery time was said to be four-to-six weeks.

BONE CHIPS

Coming back from the injury he suffered before his scheduled fight with Sonnen, Munoz fought Chris Weidman at UFC on Fuel TV: Munoz vs. Weidman six months later. Prior to the fight, Munoz caught his foot training with fellow middleweight Jason 'Mayhem'Miller. Munoz went to the doctor to receive an MRI

scan which confirmed he had fractured his fourth and fifth metatarsals. Refusing to pull out of another fight, Munoz fought against Weidman regardless, eventually losing via KO in the second round.

FRACTURED METATARSALS

Coming back from the injury he suffered before his scheduled fight with Sonnen, Munoz fought Chris Weidman at UFC on Fuel TV: Munoz vs. Weidman

six months later. Prior to the fight, Munoz caught his foot training with fellow middleweight Jason 'Mayhem'Miller. Munoz went to the doctor to receive an MRI scan which confirmed he had fractured his fourth and fifth metatarsals. Refusing to pull out of another fight, Munoz fought against Weidman regardless, eventually losing via KO in the second round.

STAPH INFECTION

With a new loss on his record following the Weidman defeat and a badly fractured foot, things got even worse for Munoz when he contracted a staph infection. During an interview with Fight Hub TV, he explained that the infection had spread from his knee all the way to his head. Luckily the infection was caught relatively early and cleared up by a doctor but combined with Munoz’s injuries caused him to be out of competition for nearly a year.

STATISTICS

NAME: Mark Kenery Munoz

WEIGHT: 185lb/84.5kg/13.4st

HEIGHT: Six-foot

REACH: 71in (180cm)

STANCE: Orthodox

YEARS ACTIVE: Six

RECORD:13-3

BMI: 25.1

FACTS

Before he was a mixed martial artist, Munoz was a talented wrestler and the first Filipino-American to win a Division I National Championship

Following his loss to Chris Weidman, Munoz was out on the sidelines for an incredible 360 days 360 due to injuries. During those 360 days he gained a considerable amount of weight, filling out to 261lb. Within five months he'd lost 62lb.