MANILA, Philippines - Sa kabila ng halos dalawang buwan na pagsasanay sa ilalim ni Freddie Roach sa Wild Card Boxing Gym sa Hollywood, California at pakikipag-usap kay Manny Pacquiao, marami nang natutunan ang Filipino mixed martial arts fighter na si Mark Muñoz.
“Just to be able to train with Manny and Freddie is an unbelievable experience. My first two months here in Southern California I got to train with Freddie,” ani Muñoz. “I got to see Manny train. I got to talk to him. It was pretty awesome to just be able to do that. He (Pacquiao) is an inspiration.”
Si Muñoz ay ilan lamang sa mga Filipino mixed martial artists maliban kina Brandon “The Truth” Vera at Philippe Nouver.
Ang tinaguriang “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” ay nakatakdang sumagupa kay Kendall Grove sa UFC 112 ngayon sa Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Inaasahang ipapakita ni Muñoz, isang Jiu Jitsu practitioner, ang kanyang mga natutuhan mula kina Pacquiao at Roach.
Nakipagsabayan na rin sa training si Muñoz sa mga bigating sina Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida at Junior Dos Santos at nagsanay sa ilalim ni UFC legend Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira.
“I picked up their intensity, their ground game, the way they just approach fighting, the way they train, the mentality... I picked up a lot from them,” ani Muñoz.