UFC Fight Night 30's Mark Munoz: 'I've fought friends before, and done well'

MANCHESTER – Mark Munoz recently crossed paths with his upcoming UFC Fight Night 30 opponent, Lyoto Machida, at a banquet. But unlike the usual pre-event bravado and mean-mugging, the friends and occasional training partners talked and agreed on one thing: The winner of their fight on Saturday is buying the other one dinner.

Munoz (13-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC), the No. 8 ranked middleweight in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA rankings, welcomes No. 5 light heavyweight Lyoto Machida (19-4 MMA, 11-4 UFC) to the 185-pound division this weekend. Machida recently replaced injured Michael Bisping (24-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) in the FOX Sports 2-televised headliner, and Munoz admits it was a tough proposition when the UFC first approached him less than a month ago.

After all, he had trained with Machida just two days before the organization offered him the fight.

“Yeah, there was hesitation, to be honest with you,” Munoz today told MMAjunkie.com. “There was hesitation in taking it. It was crazy, but at the same time, it’s competition, and it’s what we signed up to do.

” … It was very abrupt. From being a training partner to a friend to fighting each other, I’m all about it, but at least give me a little time. But for me, it’s a fight, and I’m going to go out there and do it.”

It’s also a task Munoz has gotten accustomed to. The 2001 NCAA Division I national wrestling champion and perennial UFC contender is one of the nicest guys you’ll meet in the sport, so it’s no surprise that he ends up fighting guys he considers friends. And though punching a buddy comes with drawbacks, the 35-year-old has become especially adept at it.

“I’ve fought friends before, and I’ve done well in those lights,” said Munoz, who meets Machida at Phones 4u Arena in Manchester, England. “You’ve got to be able to put the friendship aside for about 25 minutes and then pick it back up when it’s done.”

For a guy wanting big fights, Munoz said he got it with Machida. In fact, it’s a big reason he decided to take the fight. Munoz had won four consecutive bouts, including one over Chris Leben that marked the first five-round non-title fight in UFC history, before a loss to now-champ Chris Weidman. Munoz, though, rebounded with a three-round thrashing of Tim Boetsch at UFC 162.

With a win over someone of Machida’s caliber – and with an overall 6-1 run – he could be in prime position for a shot at champ Weidman or challenger Anderson Silva, who rematch next month at UFC 168.

“I think with Machida going down to middleweight, being a former champion and fighting me, he definitely has a way to fight for a title,” he said. “But that’s only if he gets by me.

“So I truly believe we both have a shot at a title after this fight.”

First, though, Munoz has to actually catch Machida, whose elusive style has frustrated many opponents. Although he has proven knockout power, Munoz’s best shot at victory may come on the ground. To get there, he has to corral the Brazilian. But that can be a dangerous proposition.

“That’s why I said there are endless combinations you’ve got to do,” he said. “You can’t just unconsciously, like, go in for the kill. If you do that – Ryan Bader got knocked out, and Tito (Ortiz) got kneed. It’s like going into wood-chipper, like Mike Goldberg said. You can’t just go haphazardly in.

“I’ve got some things in my arsenal I’m going to do, and the advantage for me is I’ve trained with him. That’s definitely an advantage for me.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 30, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.