Team Alpha Male’s Alex Munoz might be best known, to this point in his fighting career, as the guy who beat Nick Newell on Dana White’s Contender Series. And then didn’t get a UFC contract.
“That was a little tough, not getting the contract. But you know I went out there and I fought on a torn ACL. And I learned a lot from that fight, I overcame a lot in that fight,” Munoz (6-0) told Cageside Press about that experience this week. “It’s something I’ve been able to carry with me into my other fights, and into my training and my mentality towards fighting.”
Munoz does have a UFC contract now. He was speaking during the UFC Vegas 6 media day, ahead of his octagon debut against Nasrat Haqparast.
“I knew I’d get another shot to get back into the UFC, I knew that wasn’t my last chance,” he said. “At the end of the day, it wasn’t a loss, it was still a win for me.”
Don’t dwell on what doesn’t go right, Munoz added. “You’ve got to have a short memory when it comes to that stuff if you want to make it in this sport. You’ve got to focus on the things that do go right, and make sure that’s what dominates your attention.”
Munoz was supposed to make his debut back in February, but an injury forced him out of a fight with Luis “Violent Bob Ross” Pena. He last fought in October, prior to that, it was the Newell fight the year before. Expect a different fighter to step into the octagon this weekend.
“Every time you see me I’m going to be different. Week to week I’m different. I’m constantly growing, constantly evolving my game,” exclaimed Munoz. “I’m constantly trying to learn all the ins and outs of striking, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, and wrestling as it applies to MMA. I think that I’m a great wrestler, but I think that I’m a much better MMA wrestler. And I think that where I really shine is where I get to blend everything together.”
On his opponent, Munoz knows that Haqparast has heavy hands. “Obviously he’s a heavy hitter. We’ve got to move low, we’ve got to watch out for his power,” he said. But that’s nothing new for Munoz. “He’s a great striker, but that’s all I do, is train with great strikers.”
UFC Vegas 6 takes place Saturday, August 8, airing live on ESPN+ (TSN in Canada).
