The former NCAA wrestling champion turned to mixed martial arts after his life as a collegiate wrestler. He’s known as “The Filipino Wrecking Machine.” His opponents can always expect an all out effort from Muñoz, and six of his seven adversaries have felt his wrath. Inside the octagon he is as fierce as any fighter out there.

At home it’s another story.

The “Wrecking Machine” turns into a big teddy bear. Muñoz, 31, is used to training with Team Blackhouse at the gym. When he gets home he rolls with another gang – Team Muñoz.

Team Muñoz includes his wife Kristi, his oldest daughter Alexa, 10, his son Trent, 8, and younger daughters Erynne, 4, and Elyse, 2.

“I’m blessed to have this family man,” Muñoz said. “I have a wonderful wife who loves me and teaches me a lot in parenting. I have four amazing children. And the best part is that they support me in everything I do. We have a great family dynamic.”

Muñoz, the son of Filipino immigrants, born in a U.S. military base in Yokouska, Japan, takes on Ryan Jensen (15-4) this Saturday at UFC 108 in Las Vegas in a middleweight division bout. Like always, his family will have his back but won’t attend the fight. Even though his kids haven’t seen daddy do battle inside the octagon, they have a full grasp as to what he does.

“They know what I do when daddy goes to work,” Muñoz said. “My son does wrestling and ju jitsu. My oldest daughter knows people at her school that are always asking to meet her dad, and when I go pick her up they ask her, ‘Isn’t your dad a UFC fighter?’ That has to be pretty cool. They come see me at the gym when I train and I spar, so even though they’ve never seen me actually fight they know what I do.”

Over at the gym Muñoz learns from some of the best, and teaches some of the best. One of the men who he looks up to is former PRIDE heavyweight champion and UFC heavyweight contender Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira.

“Just to be able to learn from him, and roll with him, is an honor,” Muñoz said. “The crazy part is that he needs my wrestling expertise and asks me to teach him. He’s a legend so sometimes I feel inadequate, but he calls me coach and respects me, but that’s how it is at the gym. We live out the Bible quote Proverbs 27:17, ‘As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.’ ”

At home one can say the same motto applies to Team Muñoz. Just as he teaches his kids, he also learns from them.

“The focus now is teaching my 2-year old the ways, loving her, and not spoiling her,” Muñoz said. “It helps we already had the experience of three other kids, and I’ve learned the trick is to be consistent. They’re all different though, and have their personalities. It’s amazing how much they absorb by looking at you. They teach me as well, and I just try to be the best role model I can be for my four wonderful children.”

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