Mark Muñoz: The UFC’s “Bata”, “Pacman”?

As I tweeted the other night, it’s going to be quite challenging writing an article about the pride of the Philippines in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) without the chance of having an interview.

I respect that ABS-CBN’s Balls Channel has the exclusive rights to the “Laban Natin ‘To: Mark Muñoz in Manila” Tour. Hence, I must proceed with prudence and follow their rules. Initially, I was asked not to post the pictures my photographer took of his intimate seminar on wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) techniques for a fortunate group of about twenty participants at the posh Ultimate Fitness Manila (UFM) gym in the Metrowalk Complex in Pasig City last March 9th. However, towards the end of the Filipino Wrecking Machine’s stint, the officials accompanying the former Oklahoma State stalwart informed me that the photos taken by my party can be used as long as it is acknowledged that it is a Balls Channel event. So, OK: the images appearing herein from Mark Muñoz’s shindig at UFM is through the intercession and auspices of the Balls Channel.

Now while I followed the instructions given to me that Muñoz was not to be interviewed in any way, shape or form, nobody told me not to speak to the people around him. So I did, starting with UFC-Asia Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Mark Fischer (who I didn’t expect to be a 6’4” man).

“Mark (Muñoz) is one of the most genuine people you’ll ever meet,” Fischer notes. “His popularity reflects the fan-base of the UFC in the Philippines and we intend to develop this region more throughout the coming years.

“China, Indonesia and the Philippines are areas we have our eye on as far developing not only the market, but the fighters as well. There are plans for us to continue what Mark has been doing here and hopefully discover more potential talent that may be able to see action one day in the UFC. That could happen very, very soon.”

It is now, of course, common knowledge that there are plans to bring a UFC fight card to the Philippines in 2014. Fischer is excited about this prospect.

“It has to be done in a huge scale,” Fischer explains. “But knowing our partners in the Philippines, I’m optimistic.”

Another person who was more than candid to speak about Muñoz was Martin Velasco, a member of his security team and a veteran in his field.

“Of all the people I’ve had the opportunity to service, Mark is the most down-to-earth,” Velasco says with pride. “He has no qualms and no superstar ego. Look at where he changed into his training outfit: in a public restroom! He doesn’t compromise anyone. He’s truly Filipino.” It’s true coz many of the media men with me on that day had to “hold it” while Muñoz changed. Comprised for a few seconds, but relieved later on, I guess.

But probably the one that had the most stories to share was Muñoz’s good buddy Giovanni “Gio” Cruz, the Creative Director of Giographix Studios (@giographix), a graphic and web design facility operating out of the Bay Area in California. Gio and Mark are childhood friends from Vallejo—the town where Muñoz’s family settled-in since 1980 from Yokosuka, Japan.

“Mark was a state wrestling champion,” Cruz recounts. “After high school, he went to Oklahoma State because it has one of the best wrestling programs in the US. Mark is the first and only Filipino-American to win an NCAA Division One National Championship in wrestling in 2001.”

Muñoz was a two-time All-American while with the Cowboys. After his collegiate career was over, he began coaching in the Bay Area but then a chance encounter with a man they call “The Natural” altered the life course of the mild-mannered Bicolano-Manileña product.

“Randy Couture stopped by the gym once and had a session with Mark,” Cruz recalls. “He and Randy went at it a while and then the session ended with Randy telling Mark, ‘…you know what, you’re a natural,’ to which Mark said, ‘No, that’s you!’ This sparked something in him because when he came up to us (his friends) later on and said that he was going to try MMA, we all went like, ‘What? You? You’re not mean, you don’t hurt people…’ but then it turned out he was really serious about it because he actually pursued it and, well, this is where we are now.”

In mid-2007, Muñoz officially climbed into a “cage” and defeated his opponent, Austin Achorn, via knockout in the very first round—yes, using punches. Muñoz eventually immersed himself into more striking training that when he made his UFC debut in UFC 96, he was ready…perhaps not ready to suffer his first professional setback at the hands of Matt Hamill—and leaving the octagon in a neck brace—but it made him train harder and come back with a vengeance against Nick Catone in UFC 102, as a victorious debuting middleweight.

Despite starting in the sport rather late—at age 28—Muñoz has developed rapidly as an MMA fighter, thanks in part to several of the best in world coming over to his gym to learn his uncanny wrestling manoeuvres such as Wanderlei Silva, Lyoto Machida and Chael Sonnen.

“They learn from him and he learns from them.” Cruz says. “It’s how it is; they push each other to become better fighters.”

But we all know about the exploits of the 35-year-old middleweight campaigner. We’ve watched his fights and we’ve read about him a lot.

However, I present that Muñoz is the newest Philippine sports ambassador; akin to Efren “Bata” Reyes in cue sports and Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao in boxing.

Newsman Joey Villar of the Philippine Star agrees, to a certain degree: “What separates him (Muñoz) from those iconic names you’ve mentioned is a title!”

While it is a fact that Muñoz (12-3) has yet to contend for a world championship in the UFC, he has shown the most Filipino of behaviours in his day-to-day existence in MMA. I witnessed it myself. His smile is unbridled; the way he treats the people around him is with respect and with great humility and is extremely giving, especially when it comes to his craft. People also see this in Reyes—who I’m told was one of the first international billiards campaigners to actually assist in taking balls out pockets after a won rack, now an etiquette in the sport—and Pacquiao—who always does his best to speak highly of his opponents and almost always ends up being friends with them outside of the ring.

From an athlete’s perspective, his demeanour could reflect that of Michael Jordan; someone who always imparted to everyone what he could do—without prejudice—but would then go on to improve himself and bring his game to another level. From a Filipino perspective, he reminds me of how Reyes and Pacquiao conduct themselves in their respective sports as well; always displaying the great values and generosity a true Filipino always brings into everything, sometimes even to a fault.

The big difference between the three is that Reyes and Pacquiao were born and raised in the Philippines. Muñoz was not. Yet the values are still very prevalent.

“Mark comes from a good family,” Cruz, a Filipino born and raised in the US, explains. “He still speaks Tagalog, he still embraces the Filipino values and has instilled these in his own family as well.” Muñoz is a husband and a father of four.

Fischer brought up the genuineness of Muñoz. Velasco pointed out his zero superstar ego. Cruz had a zillion good things to say about him. Will Muñoz be a world titlist one day? That remains to be seen. But for now, the Filipino traits he brings with him into the UFC is enough to consider him a new Philippine ambassador in a sport where being a gentleman is probably not a requirement and showing Filipino values may even be a deterrent, but Muñoz still stays true to his inately Filipino upbringing and may be just a championship away from being mentioned in the same breath as the legendary Reyes and Pacquiao.

I really believe it’s only a matter of time.

Follow Noel Zarate on Twitter: @NoelZarate