Tag: Jonathan Martinez

UFC 301’s Jonathan Martinez believes win over Jose Aldo will ‘open a lot of doors’

Jonathan Martinez relishes the opportunity to face Jose Aldo at UFC 301.

[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag] relishes the opportunity to face [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] at UFC 301.

UFC Hall of Famer Aldo (31-8 MMA, 13-7 UFC) will come out of retirement to face Martinez (19-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) on May 4 at Rio Arena in Rio de Janeiro (pay-per-view, ESPN+).

With UFC 301 needing another big fight, rumors emerged of a potential fight between former champions Aldo and Dominick Cruz. Martinez admits he was surprised to get the call.

“I never thought I was going to fight Jose Aldo, but it’s a big name, and I’ll be ready for it,” Martinez told MMA Junkie Radio.

Martinez is on a six-fight winning streak, including leg-kick finishes of Cub Swanson and Adrian Yanez. Aldo isn’t currently ranked at bantamweight, but Martinez knows the value of fighting the former featherweight champion.

“It’ll help me a lot just because he’s a big name, and a win is going to open a lot of doors,” Martinez said. “That’s the way I see it.”

Martinez will have to withstand the rowdy Brazilian fans, who will be cheering for “The King of Rio.” But for Martinez, who hasn’t competed in front of a large crowd since February 2020, a booing crowd is better than no crowd.

“Honestly, I’m ready for the boos just because I’ve been fighting at the Apex for a long time,” Martinez said. “Hearing boos to me is going to feel like they’re cheering for me.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.

Video: Where do we fall on Jose Aldo’s typical-for-MMA short-lived retirement?

After less than two years away from MMA, former featherweight champion Jose Aldo is ending his retirement at UFC 301 in Brazil.

[autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag]’s retirement will wind up being a little less than two years long.

The UFC Hall of Famer and former featherweight champion is ending his MMA retirement for a home fight against [autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag] at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro on May 4.

Martinez (19-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) will make a return to MMA for Aldo (31-8 MMA, 13-7 UFC), who has had three boxing matches since he left the UFC. Aldo announced his retirement from MMA following a unanimous decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278 in August 2022.

He’s 37, and he has one of the toughest tests in the bantamweight division in Martinez, who has straight wins, including against Adrian Yanez and Cub Swanson.

Naturally, though, we’re wondering if this move is a wise one for Aldo – and perhaps even why fighters can’t seem to say they quit and stay quit. This week’s “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Matthew Wells and Mike Bohn break down the matchup and Aldo’s decision with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube or in podcast form.

UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo ends retirement, meets Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301 in Brazil

“The King of Rio” Jose Aldo will return from retirement in his home town vs. Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301 in May.

“The King of Rio” will return in his home town at UFC 301 in May.

UFC Hall of Famer and former featherweight champion [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] is ending his MMA retirement and returning to competition against [autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag] on the May 4 card, which takes place at Rio Arena in Rio de Janeiro (pay-per-view, ESPN+).

Aldo (31-8 MMA, 13-7 UFC) and Martinez (19-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) both confirmed the matchup on social media following an initial report from AgFight.

Aldo announced his retirement from MMA following a unanimous decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278 in August 2022. He’s since competed in three boxing matches, but will now get back in the octagon for another fight on Brazilian soil at age 37.

He will face a tough task in the streaking Martinez, an honorable mention in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, who has five consecutive victories in the 135-pound weight class, including Adrian Yanez and Cub Swanson.

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The latest UFC 301 lineup now includes:

  • Alexandre Pantoja vs. Stephen Erceg – for flyweight title
  • Jose Aldo vs. Jonathan Martinez
  • Caio Borralho vs. Paul Craig
  • Vitor Petrino vs. Anthony Smith
  • Makhmud Muradov vs. Michel Pereira
  • Drakkar Klose vs. Joaquim Silva
  • Kevin Borjas vs. Alessandro Costa
  • Dione Barbosa vs. Ernesta Kareckaite
  • Joanderson Brito vs. Jack Shore
  • Elves Brener vs. Myktybek Orolbai
  • William Gomis vs. Jean Silva
  • Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Iasmin Lucindo

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.

MMA Junkie’s 2023 Under-the-Radar Fighter of the Year: Jonathan Martinez

Our Under-the-Radar Fighter of the Year appears to be on a path toward the top of the UFC’s bantamweight division.

“The squeaky wheel gets the grease” proves to be a tale as old as time when it comes to MMA awards. But the Under-the-Radar Fighter of the Year honor can allow for the quieter brands of quality to sneak through.

With that in mind, I thought it would be the perfect time to award one of the softest-spoken UFC talents, [autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag].

Not only did Martinez add two impressive names to his resume in 2023, but the Factory X Muay Thai product also represented his team well by joining Edson Barboza as the only two fighters to finish multiple UFC opponents with leg kicks when he defeated Adrian Yanez this past October.

That win over Yanez marked Martinez’s sixth straight with the promotion, and he’s won eight of his past nine overall.

But if you actually understand what bodywork is and rewatch Martinez’s split decision loss to Andre Ewell at UFC 247, you’ll find some of the worst scores I’ve witnessed in the past half-decade in what should’ve been a clean sweep for Martinez.

But as I’ve been screaming on every platform for years now, MMA judging has a serious blind spot when it comes to grading bodywork and counters, and this fight is a perfect example of that given multiple judges awarded Ewell a round in which he was doubled over in body pain and running away.

If that fight was scored properly, Martinez – outside of a loss to Davey Grant in which he was a -600 favorite after the first round – essentially has won 11 of his past twelv12 UFC outings after his short-notice debut against Andre Soukhamthath in 2018.

Not only has Martinez been delivering impressive knockouts in said time, but the 29-year-old quietly has advanced his wrestling chops and boasts impressive stats both defensively and offensively.

Martinez also was able to crack the UFC’s top 15 rankings. He currently sits at No. 12, which is impressive considering bantamweight arguably is the deepest and most dangerous division in the current MMA landscape.

More importantly, Martinez is proving why he’s a fighter people like myself have been on high for some time, showing a sharp and savvy southpaw style that is difficult to deal with.

Although many may initially scoff at this comparison, I think Martinez is essentially a bantamweight Mirko “Cro Cop,” but with stronger wrestling in his back pocket.

If Martinez can keep this momentum going, don’t be surprised to see him crack the division’s top five by year’s end.

UFC in 2023: A ridiculously robust look at the stats, streaks, skids and record-setters

Check out a full recap of 2023’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producers Michael Carroll, here are some of 2023’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for October: Edson Barboza sets Fight of the Night record

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from October 2023.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from October 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for October.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

Nominees

Jonathan Martinez surprised Sean O’Malley became UFC champion, sees ‘Chito’ Vera stopping him in rematch

Jonathan Martinez shares his thoughts on a potential rematch between Sean O’Malley and ‘Chito’ Vera.

[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag] didn’t think [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] was going to one day rule over his division.

The rising UFC bantamweight contender didn’t think O’Malley was going to crown himself champion in what’s become one of the toughest divisions in the UFC today. Yet, “Suga” shocked many by stopping a very dominant Aljamain Sterling in the main event of UFC 292 back in August.

Martinez thinks the result speaks to the unpredictability of the sport.

“This sport is very tough, and we got tiny gloves, so anything can happen in this sport,” Martinez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “A bad strike, you bring your guard down for a second, and that’s it. You’re out, and the other guy is the champion. It’s a cockfight. Whoever attacks and lands first is usually going to win. I didn’t see (O’Malley as champion) coming. When I saw it, I was like, ‘Oh, wow.'”

Martinez, who’s on a six-fight winning streak that includes stoppage victories over Adrian Yanez and Cub Swanson, thinks O’Malley is at risk of losing his title, especially if the UFC goes through with the rumored rematch with Ecuador’s [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag].

“I see that rematch, I think that ‘Chito’ wins that one,” Martinez said. “I’ve never seen Sean fight five rounds, but I can see a lot of heart in ‘Chito,’ and as the fight goes on, he just gets better and better. I think that he can get a stoppage in the fourth round.”

Martinez is an expert leg kicker and is one of just two fighters in UFC history to get stoppage wins by leg kicks. He thinks O’Malley is susceptible to that type of attack, as seen in his first fight against ‘Chito.’

“He’s very tall for the division, so you just don’t have as much meat on your bones, and you have to cut a lot of weight,” Martinez said. “You get some good kicks in there, and you can stop the fight.”

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UFC’s Jonathan Martinez likes matchup vs. ‘regular wrestler’ Merab Dvalishvili: ‘I believe I can beat him’

Rising UFC contender Jonathan Martinez explains why he called out Merab Dvalishvili.

[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag] did what few fighters have done.

This past Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 230, the rising UFC bantamweight contender got a rate TKO finish using leg kicks, and then called out the man few dare to mention –  [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag].

It was a bold move from Martinez (19-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) as Dvalishvili is considered by many to be the toughest fight in the division, and that’s including champion Sean O’Malley.

However, Martinez doesn’t see the big deal in Dvalishvili and actually thinks it’s a favorable matchup.

“I’ve always looked at him because no one in the division wants to fight him,” Martinez said in Spanish when asked about his callout. “Many fight, win, and no one mentions his name. I can see myself beating him. People might say, ‘Oh, he’s a great wrestler. He’ll press you against the cage and this and that,’ but the thing is that I like when people try to wrestle me, that’s the way I like to fight the most.

“I believe I can beat him. He’s a regular wrestler. He just does a one, two and then goes for the legs.”

Martinez defeated prospect Adrian Yanez at UFC Fight Night 230. The victory put him on a six-fight win streak that includes other notable names such as Said Nurmagomedov and Cub Swanson.

Martinez doubts the UFC will give him Dvalishvili, but he’s not stressing about it. He’d like to fight someone in the top 10 or get a spot on the UFC’s potential return to Mexico next year.

“From 10 and above, really,” Martinez said. “I’d like to get Pedro (Munhoz) because he beat my friend Chris (Gutierrez). I’ve also been calling out Dom (Cruz) for my last three fights, but I doubt they’ll ever give him to me. So whatever the UFC wants. I would also like to fight in Mexico.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 230.

5 biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 230: Is Edson Barboza worthy of UFC Hall of Fame?

Analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Fight Night 230, including an examination of Edson Barboza’s legacy.

What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 230 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …

UFC Fight Night 230 post-event facts: Edson Barboza sets record for Fight of the Night bonuses

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 230, where Edson Barboza set a new record for most Fight of the Night bonuses.

The UFC’s second event of October got off to a slow start, but UFC Fight Night 230 closed with one of the best fights of the year.

The main event saw [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] (24-11 MMA, 18-11 UFC) rally from a vicious first-round beatdown to secure a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in a thrilling Fight of the Night matchup of ranked featherweights.

Check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from that fight and the rest of the UFC Fight Night 230 card from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

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