Munoz Shocked by Bisping-Boetsch Matchup: Fan Reaction (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

The UFC's decision to match up Michael Bisping and Tim Boetsch at UFC 148 shocked many in the MMA community, and Mark Munoz is one of them. Munoz shared his thoughts in a recent interview with ESPN, expressing his disappointment with UFC matchmakers.

"It was surprising to me," Munoz said. "I thought we were on a collision course. I know there are a lot of people in the general public that wanted us to fight. I would have loved to fight Bisping just because he's a bigger name and I match up well with him. But hey, he's fighting Boetsch and he's got his hands full. That's a real intriguing fight. We'll see what happens. … I feel that I deserve a title shot. I feel I've done everything I possibly can do to get that shot. That's what I want to fight for. That's what I want."

Boetsch pulled of a huge upset in his last Octagon appearance, coming back in the third round—after being dominated in the first two rounds—and finishing Yushin Okami at UFC 144. While Boetsch deserves a lot credit for his comeback against Okami, it should be noted that the Japanese MMA fighter historically struggles in the third round.

I personally was hoping for a Bisping-Munoz matchup, given the fact Munoz was scheduled to face Chael Sonnen for the number one contender spot at "UFC on Fox 2," before getting sidelined by an elbow injury. Bisping—who filled in for Munoz—proved he was a serious contender against Sonnen at "UFC on Fox 2," and it seemed only natural to match the two up for the next shot at the title.

With the UFC's decision to go a different route, the middleweight title picture becomes a little unclear. I guess we'll have to wait and see how the UFC fixes the mess it has created.

David is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and boxing practitioner that has watched and studied MMA for the past 7 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Brett Okamoto, "Munoz surprised he didn't get Bisping fight"

Fight and fighter information from Sherdog.com

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