By MATT MOLGAARD
MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer

When former NCAA wrestling champion Mark Munoz made the transition from the WEC to the UFC, expectations were high for the promising but undersized light heavyweight. A devastating high kick from Matt Hamill at UFC 96 rendered Munoz unconscious and expectations crumbled. But "The Filipino Wrecking Machine" was anything but done.

The decisive defeat prompted a wise decision in the form of a drop to 185 pounds, where Munoz would no longer be a naturally undersized competitor. The plan panned out, as Munoz turned a miserable debut around quickly, earning three consecutive victories at middleweight, including a second round stoppage over former “The Ultimate Fighter” winner, Kendall Grove. Things looked promising, and that brutal knockout sustained at 205 pounds was little more than a fading memory, until Munoz ran into perennial middleweight contender, Yushin Okami.

The two met at UFC Live 2 on August 1st of 2010. Though competitive, Okami gave Munoz fits inside the cage, and exited with the win, once more knocking Munoz down a peg. But if there’s anything we’ve learned about Munoz, it’s that he can never be ruled out of a bout before it transpires. The Reign MMA representative would go on to prove that in his next four bouts.

The first man to be victimized on the road to Munoz’s redemption was fellow wrestling standout, Aaron Simpson, who found himself thoroughly outworked at UFC 123. The fight knocked Simpson from contender consideration, and breathed new life into the career of Munoz.

Another Spike reality star would oppose the California resident in his following bout; C.B. Dollaway was tapped to collide with Munoz at UFC Live 3, and given the Arizonian’s wrestling background and diversified attack, many viewed the fight as a potential dead-heat. It was not to be so; Munoz disposed of "The Doberman" in just 54 seconds with an onslaught of brutal strikes.

With a second quality victory under his belt, Munoz was offered a bout with the always dangerous Demian Maia, a talented submission artist who's managed to submit eight of the fifteen foes he's toppled. The bout unfolded at UFC 131, and was quite competitive; many felt as though Maia did enough to earn the judges nod, but Munoz exited the cage the owner of another win at middleweight.

Last weekend saw Munoz once again take to the octagon, this time in preparation to tangle with the rugged near-impossible to stop, Chris Leben. While Leben implored his traditional plodding attack, Munoz offered a diverse arsenal, capitalizing on his strong wrestling background and dangerous ground-and-pound. After ten full minutes of action, Leben headed to his corner anticipating third round action, however a nasty cut over the left eyelid left "The Crippler's" vision hindered, and the fight was waved off; the result being a fourth consecutive victory at 185 pounds for Munoz, who now aligns himself for a potential title shot.

But is Mark Munoz truly ready?

He's toppled stellar wrestlers in Dollaway and Simpson, defeated one of the division's most feared submission specialists in Maia and now disposed of one of the hardest punchers to meet the middleweight requirement. But Munoz's current run still lacks a little luster, as the "Elite" name victory still evades the tough prospect. A win over Rousimar Palhares, Yushin Okami or Chael Sonnen is the missing piece of the puzzle now, and in order for Mark to make legitimate claim to the challenger's position, he must topple one of those mountains.

Should Mark manage a victory in any one of the three aforementioned scenarios, I'd consider him well prepared for the war monger known as Anderson "The Spider" Silva.

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