• UFC 138

Munoz ready to become Trivial Pursuit question at 138

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Mark Munoz admits he is a fan of UFC 138 rival Chris Leben, but he has vowed to beat him up in every area when the pair collide on Saturday, on a historic night for the UFC.

Munoz and Leben are set to make history in the first five-round non-title UFC bout, which takes place in Birmingham. The middleweight duo both carry knockout power in their hands, and the winner moves towards the upper echelons of the 185lb division.

Leben comes into the fight after an outstanding knockout of Wanderlei Silva, while Munoz also comes off a win over Demian Maia. The Filipino Wrecking Machine admits Leben is a danger and will probably be the fan favourite on the night, but he's not letting that bother him.

"Who's not a fan of Chris Leben? He gets punched in the face and knocks people out," Munoz said on the ESPN UFC Podcast. "In zombie-like fashion he'll come forward and land a left hand from nowhere, and people will stand on their feet and clap. That's great.

"But he's gonna get hit in the face, and in the body, and the shoulder and the leg and the toe, everywhere, so it's going to be an exciting fight for sure.

"He's proved himself time and again, he's fought the best, he's a fan favourite. Everybody knows Chris Leben, but people will know me after this fight."

Asked about the honour of competing in the inaugural five-round non-title bout, Munoz quipped: "It's great. I'm forever immortalised. I'm a trivia question! Who knows, I might be on Trivial Pursuit."

On a more serious note, though, Munoz is well aware he can propel himself into title contention with victory this weekend. "It definitely gets me a step closer to being a world champion. A win stamps my right to be vying for a world championship. My last loss was against Yushin Okami and that win put him against the world champ."

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