Mark Munoz surprised he didn't get UFC contender bout with Michael Bisping

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The announcement this week of the UFC 148 bout between Michael Bisping and Tim Boetsch took some by surprise, mainly because many felt the bout to be made was between Bisping and Mark Munoz.

Count Munoz among the most surprised in this development.

"It was surprising to me," Munoz said in an interview with ESPN.com. "I thought we were on a collision course. I know there are a lot of people in the general public that wanted us to fight."

"I would have loved to fight Bisping just because he?s a bigger name and I match up well with him. But hey, he?s fighting Boetsch and he?s got his hands full. That's a real intriguing fight. We?ll see what happens."

Munoz suffered an injury that took him out of UFC on Fox 2 in January, which put Bisping into Munoz's fight against Chael Sonnen. His timetable for return from injury had August as the target date, but Munoz said he'd have been able to fight just two weeks after Bisping fights Boetsch in July.

"I?ll take a fight in July," Munoz said. "I?ll be ready by then for sure. I think the UFC likes Bisping and I think they?re giving him Boetsch right now. On the other hand, they like matching winners with winners and losers with losers. We?ll see what happens."

As for who he'll fight, it seems Chris Weidman might be the name that makes the most sense. However, Munoz believes he should be in line for a title shot, and hopes to get one sooner rather than later.

"We?re playing matchmaker right there. I don?t know. We?ll see if they give me Weidman," Munoz said. "I would like to have a title shot but we?ll see what they give me."

"I feel that I deserve a title shot. I feel I?ve done everything I possibly can do to get that shot. That?s what I want to fight for. That?s what I want."

Penick's Analysis: Had Munoz fought and defeated Sonnen in January, he'd definitely have the right to a title shot, but I don't see how he thinks he's done "everything" he possibly could do to get it. The fighters he's faced have not all been top contender type fights, and even though he's won four straight, one was a fight he arguably should have lost to Demian Maia, and the most recent was a win over Chris Leben. That's not a murderer's row he's gone through. As much as Bisping needs a signature win, Munoz does as well, and he hasn't gotten it just yet.

Edwin Dewees  Nick Diaz  Tadhg Steamfist Dixon Joe Doerksen  Chris Dolman