Michael Bisping Out Of UFC Fight Night 30, Lyoto Machida Steps In To Fight Mark Munoz
After a relatively injury-free run in the UFC, the bug has bitten another big fight. Michael Bisping suffered an eye injury in training and will not be able to face off with Mark Munoz in their pivotal Middleweight showdown that was set to take place in the main event of UFC Fight Night 30 from the Phones 4U Arena in Manchester, England. MMA Junkie confirmed the news this evening.
However, the UFC was quick to find a very suitable replacement, and that man is none other than Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida. Machida was previously scheduled to face off with Tim Kennedy at Fight For The Troops 3 in November as his Middleweight debut.
While Kennedy is no slouch, Munoz will provide an extremely tough test for “The Dragon” in his new weight class. Machida was last seen on the losing end of a controversial decision against Phil Davis in the co-main event of August’s UFC 163 event from Rio. Despite being dragged to the ground at the end of rounds one and two, Machida showed excellent takedown defense throughout the bout.
That takedown will have to be in full effect against the talented wrestler Munoz, who recently got back on the winning track with a one-sided domination of Tim Boetsch at UFC 162. Munoz had a well-documented struggle with depression and weight gain after his brutal TKO loss to Chris Weidman in July 2012. He appears to have righted the ship, and looks to re-establish himself as a major player at 185.
Machida looks to do the same, and a win over Munoz would most likely get him a boost in the rankings more than beating Kennedy would. Kennedy is left without an opponent for the time being, but the Army Ranger will most likely stay on as a headlining member of Fight For The Troops 3. Machida vs. Munoz stands to be an awesome fight. Who is your early pick to win?
