Last weekend UFC middleweight fighter Aaron Simpson (7-2) took on Mark Muñoz on the Spike TV “UFC Prelims” special as part of the Nov. 20th UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida event. The fight would go all three rounds and Simpson would lose to Muñoz by unanimous decision.
It was a fight that Simpson struggled with emotionally leading up to and during the fight.
The reason behind the emotional battle is because he and Muñoz are friends.
“That week leading up to it was just a strange thing. I had weird thoughts. Even in the fight, I had weird thoughts of fighting Mark. I don’t know how to put it, but we put on a show and we knew we would. I just think in the back of my mind, I had a tough time with it. I don’t know how to describe it. I felt maybe a step behind or I wasn’t pulling the trigger on things…It was just a weird thing having to go out there and actually hurt my friend. I think Mark was probably the same way. I don’t think he was too high on it either. We did it, and I don’t necessarily recommend it, but his corner even said before the fight, ‘You guys are going to be a lot closer because of this.’ I think we were pretty close before that, and maybe we will be closer, but it was still just a weird thing.”
At a time when some of the best fighters find themselves in the same camps it is becoming increasingly difficult for the UFC to match fighters against one another. A perfect example is Jon Fitch, who is very deserving of a #1 contender status for the lightweight division. He is also a close friend with Josh Koscheck and both have sworn never to face one another. If Koscheck should defeat champ Georges St-Pierre next month, that will leave Fitch on the outside of any title shot and leave the UFC to figure out what to do with him.
Quote source Sherdog.com.