Jonathan Martinez
Dragon
USA
Struggles continue at MSG
Martinez lost to Marcus McGhee via unanimous decision (28-29, 28-29, 28-29) at UFC 309 on Saturday in New York City.
ANALYSIS
Fresh off a lopsided unanimous decision defeat to Jose Aldo in May in Brazil, Martinez struggled for the vast majority of this bout. Through 10 minutes, the total strike count was 78-24 in McGhee's favor. The few blows Martinez did land were leg kicks, and they paid major dividends late. Jonathan had at least a chance to pull the upset if he remained aggressive in Round 3, but for the most part, he let the hobbling McGhee off the hook despite the fact he clearly needed a stoppage in order to win. Martinez won six straight from October 2021 to October 2023, but back-to-back defeats in a division as deep as bantamweight is a potential death sentence for the 30-year-old Texan.
Fresh off a lopsided unanimous decision defeat to Jose Aldo in May in Brazil, Martinez struggled for the vast majority of this bout. Through 10 minutes, the total strike count was 78-24 in McGhee's favor. The few blows Martinez did land were leg kicks, and they paid major dividends late. Jonathan had at least a chance to pull the upset if he remained aggressive in Round 3, but for the most part, he let the hobbling McGhee off the hook despite the fact he clearly needed a stoppage in order to win. Martinez won six straight from October 2021 to October 2023, but back-to-back defeats in a division as deep as bantamweight is a potential death sentence for the 30-year-old Texan.
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Tabbed to face McGhee
Martinez will face Marcus McGhee in a bantamweight fight at UFC 309 on Nov. 16, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Martinez is looking to bounce back after suffering a disappointing defeat against Jose Aldo in May this year, and that loss was even more shocking considering he entered that bout on a six-fight winning run. Martinez has left good sensations in his previous fights, and he'll look to put the memory of that loss to Aldo to rest with a strong showing here. For what is worth, Martinez owns a 10-3 record at the UFC level throughout his career.
Martinez is looking to bounce back after suffering a disappointing defeat against Jose Aldo in May this year, and that loss was even more shocking considering he entered that bout on a six-fight winning run. Martinez has left good sensations in his previous fights, and he'll look to put the memory of that loss to Aldo to rest with a strong showing here. For what is worth, Martinez owns a 10-3 record at the UFC level throughout his career.
Not competitive in Rio loss
Martinez lost to Jose Aldo via unanimous decision (27-30, 27-30, 27-30) at UFC 291 on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
ANALYSIS
Entering on a six-fight winning streak and as a -140 favorite, Martinez was completely neutralized by a guy who was previously retired and inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame last summer. Of course, Aldo is one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport. Martinez was out of sorts the entire bout. Perhaps worried by the speed of his veteran opponent, he seemed hesitant to let his hands go. He finally got Aldo backtracking in the latter half of Round 2 and early in Round 3 but was never able to land any notable offense of his own in the process. The obvious concern at this point is that Martinez never defeated any true top-flight guys during his winning streak, so perhaps we overrated him just a bit.
Entering on a six-fight winning streak and as a -140 favorite, Martinez was completely neutralized by a guy who was previously retired and inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame last summer. Of course, Aldo is one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport. Martinez was out of sorts the entire bout. Perhaps worried by the speed of his veteran opponent, he seemed hesitant to let his hands go. He finally got Aldo backtracking in the latter half of Round 2 and early in Round 3 but was never able to land any notable offense of his own in the process. The obvious concern at this point is that Martinez never defeated any true top-flight guys during his winning streak, so perhaps we overrated him just a bit.
Will fight Jose Aldo
Martinez will fight Jose Aldo at UFC 301 on May 4, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Martinez will come into this fight with a ton of momentum, as he has six straight wins to his name to improve to an overall record of of 19-4-0. His opponent just came out of retirement and is a two-time UFC featherweight champion with an all-time record of 31-8.
Martinez will come into this fight with a ton of momentum, as he has six straight wins to his name to improve to an overall record of of 19-4-0. His opponent just came out of retirement and is a two-time UFC featherweight champion with an all-time record of 31-8.
Secures sixth straight win
Martinez defeated Adrian Yanez via TKO (leg kicks) at 2:26 of Round 2 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
It's Martinez's sixth straight win and arguably his most impressive to date. Facing a tough opponent and entering as a very slight (-115) favorite, Martinez recognized a massive hole in Yanez's defense and exploited it. Simply put, Adrian couldn't defend a leg kick. Jonathan responded by firing off 41 of them in a fight that lasted seven-plus minutes. 29 of them landed, with the final one crumbling Yanez to the mat and forcing referee Kerry Hatley to step in. It would also earn Martinez a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. Set to turn 30 years of age next April, Martinez appears to be one of the rare fighters that has gotten legitimately better as he's aged. The Texan is quickly moving up the rankings at 135 pounds.
It's Martinez's sixth straight win and arguably his most impressive to date. Facing a tough opponent and entering as a very slight (-115) favorite, Martinez recognized a massive hole in Yanez's defense and exploited it. Simply put, Adrian couldn't defend a leg kick. Jonathan responded by firing off 41 of them in a fight that lasted seven-plus minutes. 29 of them landed, with the final one crumbling Yanez to the mat and forcing referee Kerry Hatley to step in. It would also earn Martinez a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. Set to turn 30 years of age next April, Martinez appears to be one of the rare fighters that has gotten legitimately better as he's aged. The Texan is quickly moving up the rankings at 135 pounds.
Scheduled against Yanez
Martinez will fight Adrian Yanez in a bantamweight bout at UFC Vegas 81 on Oct. 14, according to Carlos Contreras Legaspi of ESPN Deportes.
ANALYSIS
Martinez-Yanez will be a fight between two bantamweights currently in the bottom third of the UFC division's top 15. Martinez has won each of his last five fights, while Yanez is fighting a lower-ranked opponent after suffering defeat from No. 7 Rob Font in April.
Martinez-Yanez will be a fight between two bantamweights currently in the bottom third of the UFC division's top 15. Martinez has won each of his last five fights, while Yanez is fighting a lower-ranked opponent after suffering defeat from No. 7 Rob Font in April.