Mark Munoz retires from MMA with victory over Luke Barnatt

In front of his home country of the Philippines, Mark Munoz went out on his shield. Midway through the FOX Sports 1 main card, Munoz put on a fantastic performance against Luke Barnatt earning him the unanimous decision victory.

Despite being as low as a +125 betting underdog on Paddy Power’s UFC odds, Munoz showed his veteran skill inside the Octagon.

In his post-fight speech with Jon Anik, Munoz was very thankful and emotional.

“Thank you very much Philippines, I will represent you guys from the bottom of my heart.”

“The Filipino Wrecking Machine” compared his time inside the cage to that of the cartoons he watched as a kid.

“From the day when I was a kid, I was watching cartoons and remember watching super-heroes — I get to reenact that every time I step into the cage.”

Unfortunately for Munoz, he never got to obtain the UFC gold that all competitors get into the sport to achieve. But what he did get to do was something else — change lives.  He is known as one of the nicest competitors of the sport, and really changed MMA.  He owns wins over the likes of C.B. Dollaway, Tim Boetsch, Demain Maia, and Chris Leben.

“This is something I’ve dreamed about; I know I didn’t accomplish, what I wanted to accomplish in the cage, but I invested a lot of my time in lives and I invested in treasures in their heart and I’ve been able to change lives and impact lives in a positive way. That’s what I’m here for.”

Now that his fighting career is complete, he hopes to stay active in the community by teaching and helping the sport grow in the Philippines.

“I have a story to be able to give to kids and I want to be able to teach and come back here to the Philippines and be able to give my talents, gifts and abilities to you guys. And be able to help the Philippines in wrestling and that’s my goal. I have so much to give to this sport.”

It was a sight that many fight fans will remember for some time. Following his speech, Munoz removed his gloves and laid them out in the center of the Octagon as a thank you to all involved in the biggest fight promotion on the planet — UFC.

“I’m putting my gloves in the center of the Octagon, because I’ve got so much love and admiration for the sport. Thank you to the best organization on the planet in mixed martial arts. Thank you UFC, thank you Dana White, thank you Lorenzo [Fertitta] — I will cherish these memories for a lifetime. We all have a story and mixed martial arts has been the story of my career. You might get hit by unforeseen things — people might have cancer, you might have diabetes, but your life doesn’t stop there; you get back up and you keep competing to the best of your ability and that’s what my career’s all about.”