Mark Munoz placed on administrative leave after letting students box one another
Former UFC fighter Mark Munoz has found himself in hot water after allowing students to settle a dispute by boxing each other.
Munoz, 44, allegedly let two students fight each other with boxing gloves. As a results, Munoz has been placed on administrative leave and won’t have his contract renewed as a wrestling coach at a Southern California high school.
“The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Munoz, who retired from competitive MMA after racking a up a pro record of 14-6, denies knowing there was an argument between the students prior to the boxing match was set up at Fairmont Private Schools in Anaheim.
TMZ was the first to report on the incident and sources close to Munoz told the site that the impromptu boxing match was “more jovial than violent.”
“[He] will not be returning to campus,” a spokesperson for the school said after one of the student’s parents complained about the altercation.
Munoz, a former collegiate national champion wrestler at Oklahoma State, later provided a statement to MMA Junkie:
“With every ounce of who I am, I desire to be a positive influence on kids, to teach kids to be the very best wrestlers, to speak loudly against bullying, and to honor my Lord Jesus Christ,” Munoz wrote. “There are thousands of wrestlers who I have coached that would affirm those truths from first-hand experience. Under no circumstance would I encourage kids to settle a dispute through fighting.”
Mark Munoz fought in the UFC from 2009 to 2015. He holds notable wins over Demian Maia, Chris Leben, Tim Boetsch, and Kendall Grove.
