Mark Muñoz, UFC-fighter-turned-High School Wrestling Coach, has been placed on administrative leave by Fairmont Private Schools after allegedly allowing 2 students to put on boxing gloves and scrap.
Muñoz issued a statement on the matter via 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.”
Muñoz holds a reputation within the MMA community for being one of the kindest people and was even ranked the #1-nicest fighter in an episode of UFC Tonight. He was responsible for a Los Angeles-based Anti-Bullying campaign in 2017 that was highlighted by the Los Angeles Times. A Filipino-American who immigrated from Japan, Muñoz went on to attend Oklahoma State University and won the 2001 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship at 197 lb.
As a UFC-fighter, Mark Muñoz has fought against names such as Loyoto Machida and Chris Wideman, and even earned a 2011 victory over Demian Maia at UFC 131. Since then, he has become a High School wrestling coach in Anaheim, California.
The incident was first reported by TMZ, and the issue seems to have stemmed from the outrage of one of the kid’s parents. Muñoz claims to not have known that there was any bad blood between the two students. There were no injuries reported, and TMZ stated that “the ex-UFC fighter believed the impromptu boxing match was more jovial than violent.”
As a repercussion, Muñoz has been placed on indefinite administrative leave, and his contract will not be renewed.
This story is still developing.
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