Sherdog’s Top 10: Brutal Beatdowns

Chris Weidman announced his arrival as a contender at Mark Munoz’s expense. | Photo: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

8. Chris Weidman vs. Mark Munoz
July 11, 2012
Uber-prospect Weidman broke through into the consciousness of MMA fans with an ugly, grinding, gutsy win on 11 days’ notice over former title challenger Demian Maia in January 2012. He drew his first headlining slot six months later against NCAA wrestling champion Munoz, who was riding a four-fight winning streak of his own. It was this fight that would prove Weidman to be something truly special in the division that Anderson Silva had ruled for so long.

Weidman was only a small favorite (-140) heading into the bout at UFC on Fuel TV 4, but it quickly became obvious that Munoz had nothing to offer. The former national champion found himself on his back within the first 35 seconds of the fight and stayed there for all but the last few seconds of the round. He landed no strikes and never came close to mounting any offense. The scene repeated itself in the following frame, with Weidman hitting the same snatch single-leg takedown within the first 10 seconds, passing guard and piling up submission attempts and control.

Munoz finally managed to escape to his feet about a minute into the round, and for the next 30 seconds, he circled and threw without landing anything. Ninety seconds into the round, he leaped forward into a left hand, and Weidman smashed him with a beautiful overhand elbow counter. Munoz fell to the ground, where Weidman pounded him until referee Josh Rosenthal blessedly called a stop to proceedings.

Despite being in the cage for nearly seven minutes, Munoz produced absolutely zero offense. He did not land a strike or even attempt a takedown or submission. It was completely one-sided beating that left Munoz bloodied and crumpled on the mat, and it signaled the rise of Weidman.

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