Lyoto and Munoz have dinner after the main fight at UFC Fight Night 30. Photo: Reproduction / Instagram
Mark Muñoz admitted that he was not psychologically prepared to face Lyoto Machida, his former training partner. The North American, son of Filipino parents, was scheduled to face Michael Bisping at UFC Fight Night 30, in England, but saw his opponent leave the event due to an injury.
So, to replace the Englishman, the UFC selected Machida, who won by knockout in the first round. In an interview with the North American magazine FIGHT!, Muñoz confessed that he did not feel comfortable with the situation, as he and Lyoto had been training together shortly before. “Now that it’s happened, I know what I need to work on. It's not so much in the physical part, but in the mental part. For me, it was very difficult to fight someone I had trained with just two weeks before,” he declared. “I learned a lot in this process. I just need to be able to turn the key. It was strange seeing my coaches in his corner.”
Despite admitting the strangeness, Muñoz recognized Machida's superiority. “He made the shot. Some of my defeats have come through kicks, so I need to learn from that,” he concluded.
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