UFC 138: Is Mark Munoz Destined to Wear UFC Gold?

Mark Munoz will look to bring his wrecking ball and make his claim to being “in the mix” at UFC 138 against Chris Leben.

Munoz, a highly decorated collegiate wrestler, sports an impressive professional record. The only blemishes are due to a highlight reel head kick from Matt Hamill in his UFC debut and a split decision lost against Yushin Okami.

His loss against Okami was particularly telling. Munoz was unable to utilize his wrestling to unleash his patented ground and pound while his striking looked very rudimentary.

Munoz strikes me as one of those guys that are like Kenny Florian. He’s really good, but not great. Munoz has dominated the lesser competition he’s faced but when matched up against an upper tier middleweight Munoz can’t get the job done.

Working on his striking game needs to be Munoz’s top concern. There’s no doubt about the power he has in his hands, but mixing his strikes and takedowns will allow Munoz the best opportunity to win.

Looking at Anderson Silva, Munoz has the skills set to defeat the champion. He has a strong wrestling base and has the power to end the fight at a moment’s notice.

Munoz obviously has the talent but he will need to evolve in all aspects if he wants to challenge for a title. The raw power and wrestling ability will always be there, but will the technique develop as well?

Munoz’s time for a title run is now. A decisive victory over Leben would propel the “Filipino Wrecking Machine” into a potential title elimination bout.

This next fight with Leben will tell us what we all need to know about Munoz and his place among the middleweights. Is he going to ascend to the top? Or is he going to be stuck at the gatekeeper level?