During a recent media call for UFC 127, promotion President Dana White talked about expanding their reach around the world by organizing versions of Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series. One of the first places they are looking at is the Philippines.
“This year. I’m pretty sure the first one’s going to be the Philippines.”
This is great news for one of this Thursday’s UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann participants, UFC middleweight Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Muñoz who said to Yahoo! Sports that he’d love a shot at coaching on the international reality series if it happens.
Muñoz was born to Filipino parents at a U.S. Air Force base in Japan and still maintains close ties to the country that bears his nickname. This Thursday at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky he’ll meet CB Dollaway on the Versus televised card.
“I would love to be a coach on TUF Philippines, not only because I am a Filipino American, but because I would love to be a part of history, as well. I love coaching. That’s what I was before I became a mixed martial artist. MMA is one of the fastest growing sports in the Philippines and they’re taking to it quite well. Boxing is huge because of Manny [Pacquiao], but MMA is growing, too, and [Filipino American fighters like] Brandon Vera, Philippe Nover, Shane del Rosario and myself are helping that. MMA is going to be a monster sport in the Philippines. Trust me. It’s going to be huge there and I would love to be a part of that.”