Mark Munoz Removed From UFC Rankings While New Contract Gets Resolved

Previously ranked at No. 7 heading into his pivotal UFC Fight Night 41 main event against Gegard Mousasi, middleweight veteran Mark Munoz needed a big win to get back on track after getting knocked out in two of his previous three bouts.

Unfortunately ‘The Filipino Wrecking Machine’ was dominated in the main area he was thought to hold an edge on ‘The Dreamcatcher,’ on the mat. The former Strikeforce champion appeared to have no trouble avoiding Munoz’ takedown attempts, reversing position to earn a quick rear naked choke that sent Munoz to his third finish loss in four fights.

The surprisingly easy win left many questioning Munoz’ future as a fighter. Today, it appears that we have an answer to that question. Although he has not been officially released, Munoz has been removed from the official UFC rankings.

However, it’s not necessarily because of his performance, as ESPN’s Brett Okamoto tweeted that Munoz has ben removed because he’s no longer under contract in the UFC. Both sides are apparently working on a new deal right now:

Mark Munoz has been removed from UFC rankings because he is not under contract. Mousasi bout was last on his deal. In talks for a new deal.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) June 9, 2014

Munoz also hurt his knee against Mousasi, apparently suffering a strained ACL and torn MCL during the fight. He tweeted that he will be out for awhile with the injury, another reason for his removal from the rankings:

@AndreasHale I have a grade 3 tear in my MCL and a strained ACL. So I’ll be out for a while.

— Mark Muñoz (@mark_munoz) June 9, 2014

So Munoz may get re-signed to the UFC, but given his recent track record, the contract he’s offered isn’t going to be biggest one. We’ve seen the same thing happen to aging veterans on losing streaks recently; the case of Dan Henderson immediately comes to mind.

Munoz still has an 18-5 record, but the last two years have been tumultuous to say the least. The dangerous stand-up skills brought to the Octagon by the middleweight division’s long list of dangerous contenders may be passing Munoz by, so there’s not a whole lot of reasons for him to keep absorbing painful knockout finishes.

His wrestling has always been top-shelf, but it simply won’t cut it on its own anymore, and it is probably making him too one-dimensional in this era of wholly well-rounded fighters.

With injuries and losses piling up, should the UFC re-sign Munoz, or is he better off retiring to become one of MMA’s best coaches at his Reign Training Center?