source: abs-cbnnews.com

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight contender Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Muñoz hopes to make his return to the Octagon by June or July after undergoing surgery on his right elbow.

Muñoz had to back out of his UFC on FOX middleweight match-up against Chael Sonnen after aggravating an injury on his right elbow during training.

“(I can come back) late June, early July... it will depend on how I feel and how well I can come back,” Muñoz said in an interview with ESPN’s Gross Point Blank.

Muñoz said he has had problems with his right arm for a while, but instead of consulting a doctor, he preferred to simply “ice it, and do what I can to deal with it by myself.”

Despite the problems in his arm, Muñoz was actually having the finest stretch of his career, having won four straight fights including a second-round technical knockout of Chris Leben at UFC 138.

His arm finally gave out during his training for the Sonnen match. “I felt my elbow pop twice... I couldn’t even pick up my gym bag, I couldn’t move my arm at all,” Muñoz said.

Muñoz was informed by his doctor that he had to cancel the Sonnen bout and proceed with surgery.

“I was so upset,” he said. “It was a huge opportunity to be on the Fox card, to have the opportunity to be the No. 1 contender and fight for the world championship.”

“At the same time, I believe that everything happens for a reason, too. I gotta move forward, I gotta approach it that way because if I don’t I might kick myself into depression and I don’t wanna do that,” Muñoz added.

The fighter said that he will focus on his rehabilitation in order to get his health back as quickly as possible.

“Right now, I gotta have a champion’s perspective and think straight,” Muñoz said. “I can still come back, I haven’t lost, but I need to get back to my winning ways when I come back and rehab and do everything right.”

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