Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Jonathan Martinez
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Returning to cage in March
Martinez will face off with Davey Grant at UFC Fight Night scheduled for March 13, Nolan King of MMA Junkie reports.
ANALYSIS
The UFC has not officially made an announcement for this fight, however, two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking Friday. Martinez is fresh off a unanimous decision victory over Thomas Almeida at UFC on ESPN+ 38 back in October and will look to make it three consecutive wins when he takes on a much older Grant in a few short months. More information for the fight should be released once the UFC makes it official as a location or venue has yet to be annnounced.
The UFC has not officially made an announcement for this fight, however, two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking Friday. Martinez is fresh off a unanimous decision victory over Thomas Almeida at UFC on ESPN+ 38 back in October and will look to make it three consecutive wins when he takes on a much older Grant in a few short months. More information for the fight should be released once the UFC makes it official as a location or venue has yet to be annnounced.
Makes statement in victory
Martinez defeated Thomas Almeida via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
ANALYSIS
Martinez looked ready for his opponent from the opening bell, checking the first few leg kicks Almeida sent his way. From there, Martinez simply beat the veteran to the punch, lighting him up on the counter and scoring over and over again with a straight left hand behind a left kick. He didn't come into the organization with a ton of hype, but Martinez has ridden his power and counter striking to a 4-2 UFC record, having now won back-to-back fights. He moves to 13-3 in professional MMA overall as a result of the win.
Martinez looked ready for his opponent from the opening bell, checking the first few leg kicks Almeida sent his way. From there, Martinez simply beat the veteran to the punch, lighting him up on the counter and scoring over and over again with a straight left hand behind a left kick. He didn't come into the organization with a ton of hype, but Martinez has ridden his power and counter striking to a 4-2 UFC record, having now won back-to-back fights. He moves to 13-3 in professional MMA overall as a result of the win.
Steps in to face Almeida
Martinez will take on Thomas Almeida in a bantamweight matchup at the UFC event scheduled for Oct. 17 on Fight Island, MMAFighting.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Martinez improved his UFC record to 3-2 last August with a third-round stoppage victory over Frankie Saenz, and will now look to put a bigger name on his resume. Almeida was once regarded as one of the best prospects in the sport, but unceremoniously dropped back-to-back fights and hasn't competed since January of 2018. Martinez will get this opportunity due to Almeida's originally-scheduled opponent, Alejandro Perez, dropping out due to a positive COVID test. Martinez is an inch taller than Almeida, but both men have a 70-inch reach. Both men prefer a striking-heavy approach, but Almeida sports the statistical edge in striking volume over a larger sample size. Martinez has slightly better defensive marks, however.
Martinez improved his UFC record to 3-2 last August with a third-round stoppage victory over Frankie Saenz, and will now look to put a bigger name on his resume. Almeida was once regarded as one of the best prospects in the sport, but unceremoniously dropped back-to-back fights and hasn't competed since January of 2018. Martinez will get this opportunity due to Almeida's originally-scheduled opponent, Alejandro Perez, dropping out due to a positive COVID test. Martinez is an inch taller than Almeida, but both men have a 70-inch reach. Both men prefer a striking-heavy approach, but Almeida sports the statistical edge in striking volume over a larger sample size. Martinez has slightly better defensive marks, however.
Crisp striking leads to victory
Martinez defeated Frankie Saenz via TKO (knee and strikes) at 0:57 of Round 3 at UFC on ESPN+31 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Martinez fought off the aggressive charge of Saenz early, who came out firing with overhand rights. The two stayed on the feet for the rest of the frame, with Martinez seemingly throwing his legs and knees more than he did his hands. Martinez did open up in the final seconds, landing a big body shot followed by an uppercut. Martinez continued to be the crisper striker, landing flush with a head kick that staggered Saenz just over 90 seconds into the second. Martinez didn't relent, connecting with one more significant head kick that sent Saenz to the canvas. Saenz weathered that storm and kept surviving. One more head kick at the end of the frame had Saenz badly hurt and the fight was nearly stopped, but Round 3 ultimately saw the opening bell. Martinez appeared to have all the momentum heading into that frame, but connected on a low blow that gave Saenz some time to recover. It ended up not mattering, as Saenz charged in recklessly not long after and was met with a stiff knee. A couple follow-up shots, and the fight was called off. Martinez looked excellent in this fight, but won't be eligible for a post-fight bonus due to the fact he missed weight. That's the first issue he'll need to address moving forward.
Martinez fought off the aggressive charge of Saenz early, who came out firing with overhand rights. The two stayed on the feet for the rest of the frame, with Martinez seemingly throwing his legs and knees more than he did his hands. Martinez did open up in the final seconds, landing a big body shot followed by an uppercut. Martinez continued to be the crisper striker, landing flush with a head kick that staggered Saenz just over 90 seconds into the second. Martinez didn't relent, connecting with one more significant head kick that sent Saenz to the canvas. Saenz weathered that storm and kept surviving. One more head kick at the end of the frame had Saenz badly hurt and the fight was nearly stopped, but Round 3 ultimately saw the opening bell. Martinez appeared to have all the momentum heading into that frame, but connected on a low blow that gave Saenz some time to recover. It ended up not mattering, as Saenz charged in recklessly not long after and was met with a stiff knee. A couple follow-up shots, and the fight was called off. Martinez looked excellent in this fight, but won't be eligible for a post-fight bonus due to the fact he missed weight. That's the first issue he'll need to address moving forward.
4.5 pounds heavy at weigh-in
Martinez came in 4.5 pounds over the limit (140.5 pounds overall) for Saturday's UFC Vegas 5 bout versus Frankie Saenz, MMAJunkie.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Assuming Saenz makes weight for the contest, Martinez will have to forfeit a share of his purse for the fight to go on. He hasn't had a history of missing weight to this point, but this certainly marks a significant amount to miss by.
Assuming Saenz makes weight for the contest, Martinez will have to forfeit a share of his purse for the fight to go on. He hasn't had a history of missing weight to this point, but this certainly marks a significant amount to miss by.