After more than six years away, Roan Carneiro will return to the UFC Octagon this February. But it won’t be an easy victory lap for the longtime fighter and jiu-jitsu black belt when he faces win-hungry Mark Munoz at UFC 184.
The news came Wednesday evening on the UFC Tonight program, which airs on Fox Sports 1, and was also reported by Elias Cepeda of Fox Sports:
Mark Munoz to face Roan ‘Jucao’ Carneiro at UFC 184 http://t.co/ZSFhc3a0K3
— UFC Tonight (@UFCTonight) December 18, 2014
The 36-year-old Carneiro (19-9) has been steadily active in pro MMA since 2000. He has fought sparingly since being released from the UFC in 2008 following a split-decision loss to Ryo Chonan, competing exactly once a year from 2009 to 2013.
However, Carneiro made up for lost time on October 4, 2014, when he won three fights in one night to win the inaugural BattleGrounds MMA tournament. Although Carneiro competed in that tournament as a welterweight, he’ll return to his more typical middleweight for his UFC return.
Munoz, meanwhile, is a longtime UFC regular but finds himself in desperate need of a win—or at least a solid showing. Once considered a possible title contender, Munoz lost by first-round knockout to Lyoto Machida in October 2013. He looked even worse in his next fight, an awful performance against Gegard Mousasi in May that again ended in the first round, this time by chokeout.
The Filipino Wrecking Machine also has missed extended time recently. After his loss to Machida, Munoz wrote on his website (h/t USA Today‘s Mike Foss) that he suffered severe depression and weight gain before his return against Mousasi, which, as mentioned, did not go well.
Nevertheless, Munoz is still an excellent wrestler with heavy fists and should make a daunting foil for Carneiro. Adding extra intrigue to the matchup is the fact that both men are also high-level MMA instructors. Munoz teaches wrestling at California’s prestigious Reign MMA; Carneiro is a jiu-jitsu instructor with American Top Team.
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