Fil-Am Muñoz braces for MMA tiff vs 'The Spider'

MANILA, Philippines - With three wins in a row, Fil-Am Mark Muñoz has made quite an impression in mixed martial arts even as he braces for tougher fights ahead, including a possible collision with Brazilian Anderson “The Spider” Silva, considered as the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world today.

“He’s a good friend of mine and we would have to talk about fighting each other. I respect him as a friend and training partner,” Muñoz said of Silva, also the reigning middleweight champion.

The possibility of facing off with Silva surfaces after Muñoz dropped from the light heavyweight to middleweight last year.

“I do not dream of fighting Silva. But if the chance arrives, I must think of it and I will cross that bridge when I get there,” said Muñoz.

Muñoz, however, stressed dropping from light heavy, a star-studded division that includes fellow Fil-Am and long-time buddy Brandon “The Truth” Vera, to middleweight was inevitable.

“There are many reasons to drop to middleweight. My top reason is because of size. Many of the light heavyweights are 6-3 and above and I stand at six feet and boast of a 69” reach while my counterparts have 77”- 84” reach,” said Muñoz, who trains under Abel Nunez and Rafael Cordeiro.

“So just for sheer size I dropped down. Plus I’m a middleweight and intend staying here for a while,” said Muñoz, whose wins streak included a victory over middleweight title contender Demian Maia in the UFC 131 in Vancouver, British Columbia last weekend.

The 33-year-old Muñoz, born in Yokuoska, Japan of Filipino parents, said he has improved standup skills tremendously, an aspect he was weak at when he first entered the octagon a few years ago.