Mark Munoz Knocked out of UFC on FOX 2, Chael Sonnen Now Faces Michael Bisping

There’s been a major shakeup for the January 28^th UFC on FOX 2.

Mark Munoz is out because of injury according to UFC president Dana White:

Munoz was originally the one to fight Chael Sonnen, but a nagging arm injury will keep him out of the cage.

What It Means

Bisping was originally slated to fight Demian Maia, but got the promotion with the injury.

Maia's new opponent has yet to be named to serve as the Brit's replacement, and it hasn’t been decided if the main card will stick with three fights or be reduced to just two.

The biggest travesty here is that the powers-at-be don’t have much time to promote the new fight.

The match is 11 days away and the hype machine for Sonnen-Bisping will not have the opportunity to reach its true potential. Both fighters specialize in the trash-talking department and the pre-fight antics aren’t going to be as drawn out as they could of been.

As expected, however, the two outspoken fighters tried their darndest to make up for lost time. From UFC.com:

"

"This isn't the new co-main, because I sold all the tickets. This is the new main event," said Sonnen. "I am going to knock the teeth out of this snot-nosed Brit who calls a Count. I am MMA royalty and America will tune into the Chael Sonnen show next Saturday on FOX."

Never one to turn the other cheek, Bisping offered some opening remarks on his opponent: "He's been kicked out of politics, he has been kicked out of the real estate business, and I am going to kick him out of the middleweight division."

"

The fight pits Sonnen’s strong wrestling style against Bisping’s proficient stand-up in what is still going to be a worthy co-main event.

What’s Next

As White states in his tweet, the winner of Sonnen-Bisping will take on Anderson Silva for the middleweight belt. This is a gigantic break for Bisping, considering he was likely at least two wins away from a title shot.

Now would be a good time to meet Silva in the ring. He is dealing with a shoulder problem that will keep him out until at least the summer, and potentially the fall.

As for Munoz? At the age of 33, question marks surrounding his future are emerging. His impressive 12-2 (six KOs) in MMA means he isn’t going to retire after the latest setback, but it does make you wonder if Munoz has peaked and his best fights are behind him.

There is no update at the moment on the status of his arm or a timetable for his return.