Tag: Mana Martinez

Mana Martinez set for UFC debut, meets Jesse Strader on Aug. 21

After Dana White awarded him a contract at a Fury FC event in Houston, Mana Martinez will make his debut this summer.

[autotag]Mana Martinez[/autotag] has a date and opponent for his UFC debut.

Two weeks ago, Martinez earned a UFC contract from promotion president Dana White, who was in attendance scouting his Fury FC title fight in Houston. On Aug. 21, he’ll make his promotional debut against [autotag]Jesse Strader[/autotag]. The event doesn’t have a publicly announced location or venue at this time.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Martinez (8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) enters with seven wins in his most recent eight fights. His lone loss in the stretch came against Drako Rodriguez on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020.

Strader (5-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) made his promotional debut in March and was finished in Round 1 with strikes by Montel Jackson. The fight was Strader’s first since August 2019 and snapped a two-fight winning streak.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Aug. 21 includes:

  • Paulo Costa vs. Jared Cannonier
  • Fabio Cherant vs. William Knight
  • Austin Hubbard vs. Vinc Pichel
  • Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval
  • Austin Lingo vs. Luis Saldana
  • Parker Porter vs. Chase Sherman
  • Brian Kelleher vs. Domingo Pilarte
  • Clay Guida vs. Mark Madsen
  • Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Sasha Palatnikov
  • Bea Malecki vs. Josiane Nunes
  • Mana Martinez vs. Jesse Strader

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Mana Martinez inspired by Metro Fight Club’s DWCS success, confident he’ll keep the ball rolling

Mana Martinez hopes to continue the momentum of teammates Adrian Yanez and Jacob Silva.

Metro Fight Club has largely flown under the radar over the past few years, but the Houston-base gym and head coach Saul Soliz have entered the spotlight in 2020.

After bantamweight Adrian Yanez punched his ticket to the UFC on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 4, Week 2, his teammate Jacob Silva thrilled the UFC brass in a back-and-forth battle on Week 4. Though he didn’t earn the deal, Silva received high praise from UFC president Dana white.

Bantamweight [autotag]Mana Martinez[/autotag] hopes to prove the age-old saying, “Good things come in threes,” accurate Tuesday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas when he becomes the third Metro Fight Club fighter to make the DWCS walk in 2020.

A flashy striker, the 24-year-old knockout artist hopes to keep the ball rolling for his home gym and head coach Saul Soliz.

“It was so exciting seeing Adrian go out there and start it off for us three – doing it how fast he did it and how impressive he did it,” Martinez said. “Then seeing Jacob having Dana basically on his feet at the end of the fight. Of course, I’m confident he’ll get the call back. Yeah, it was just awesome seeing that. Now it’s here. It’s my turn. I’m going to go out there and finish it strong. Us three will be in the UFC by the end of the year.”

Standing in Martinez’s path will be fellow top 135-pound prospect Drako Rodriguez. Like Martinez (6-1), Rodriguez (6-1) has finished a majority of his professional fights inside the distance.

“He’s got a similar record to mine and I think his style will match up well against mine,” Martinez said. “Maybe not in a sense where he comes out with his hand raised, but I think it will definitely allow me to go out there and show my skillset the best way and show everybody who I am.”

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Though he’s only 24, Martinez has been preparing for this opportunity his entire life. To earn a UFC deal would vindicate all of the commitment Martinez put into his craft over the years. He’d prove his family – and himself – proud.

“It’d mean everything – a lifetime of work,” Martinez said. “It’s all on one fight. It’d just mean the world. I don’t know how else to put it. I kind of get choked up about talking about it because it’s just so crazy. It’s just so surreal.

“Yeah, it’d mean the world – especially for my parents, my family, my little brother, my sister. Just going out there and knowing how young I was when I started doing this. For me to go out there and win would be a dream come true.”

DWCS 32 takes place Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+.

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Twitter Mailbag: Will Georges St-Pierre vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov happen?

MMA Junkie’s Nolan King tackles that question and more in this week’s Twitter Mailbag.

Questions on your mind about recent happenings in the UFC or the sport of MMA in general? MMA Junkie’s Twitter Mailbag with @mma_kings is here – and this week he answers:

  • Will [autotag]Georges St-Pierre[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] happen?
  • What are your thoughts on [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag]?
  • Who should be next for [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]?
  • What August fight is flying under the radar?

Those are answered in the video above. You can also read on a few more topics below.

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Which Contender Series prospect, with the assumption they win their fight, do you think will make the quickest impact in the UFC?

This a great question, Doug. Every Dana White’s Contender Series season has a different vibe. This season, the vibe is great matchmaking – something that I thought was lacking the past two seasons. There are a lot more toss-ups, which makes it harder for fighters to stick out of the crowd in a prediction sense.

If I had to throw out a few names:

  • [autotag]Matt Dixon[/autotag]: A talented, undefeated welterweight who has largely been tied up with a regional scene contract finally gets a shot at the big show after his LFA debut.
  • [autotag]Mana Martinez[/autotag]: Fans might not know his name yet, but Martinez is about as stylistically pleasing a fighter as is possible. He’s a flashy knockout artist who is still improving leaps and bounds in between every fight.
  • [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag]: Kasnaganay is a legitimate anomaly. His pro career began in January 2019. His DWCS, Season 3 performance was one of the best of the season – yet he didn’t get a contract. Another strong performance and that should change.

Where will Sean O’Malley be in three to five years?

That’s a lot of time. Anything can happen. But if [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] continues his improvement at his current clip, he could very well be a UFC champion.

I’ll admit it, I wasn’t buying the hype after O’Malley’s DWCS appearance in 2016. He had flash, style, charisma, and flair, but at the time I needed to see improvements.

Before long, however, he made the adjustments. Each and every fight since he’s showed new wrinkles in his game. He’s battled adversity inside and outside the cage like a champ. That’s huge.

There are all really promising signs, indicative of a fighter destined for greatness – championship greatness.

To ask a question of your own, follow @MMAjunkie on Twitter and let us know.

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10 bantamweights you can expect to see on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 4

Dana White’s Contender Series is right around the corner. Check out 10 bantamweights who could be featured.

Dana White’s Contender Series has become a focal point for fighters on the regional scene. Since its inception in 2017, the UFC Fight Pass-turned-ESPN+ summer original removed some of the guesswork for up-and-comers trying to make it big.

With UFC president Dana White and matchmakers Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby cageside, the stakes are high. Have an impressive, exciting win on the show, and you’re in.

Rumored for a late-June start date, DWCS Season 4 is almost here. The lineups haven’t been announced quite yet, but advanced planning is underway. While there are hundreds of fighters qualified to compete on the show, we’ll be narrowing each divisional pool to 10 fighters you should expect to see on the show this summer.

Up next, the bantamweights…

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Jose Johnson

Record: 11-5
Age: 24
Height: 6’0″
Birthplace: Flint, Mich.

In November 2019, [autotag]Jose Johnson[/autotag] made his presence felt with a single, vicious elbow. At LFA 78, Johnson took on Rafael Costa, a top Brazilian prospect. As the fight approached the two-minute mark, Johnson landed a clean elbow that flattened Costa to the ground. The brutal manner in which the fight ended created a big-time highlight – one that went viral in a matter of hours. The knockout was Johnson’s fifth in as many fights. Eight of his 11 victories have come inside the distance. The UFC brass stresses how much they enjoy exciting fighters on DWCS. Johnson fits the mold.

Taylor Lapilus

Record: 16-3
Age: 27
Height: 5’6″
Birthplace: France

[autotag]Taylor Lapilus[/autotag]’ four-fight UFC tenure ended in surprising fashion. The French fighter went 3-1 in the UFC from 2015-2016 with wins over Rocky Lee, Ulka Sasaki, and Leandro Issa. His lone promotional loss came to Erik Perez. A training partner of Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane under coach Fernand Lopez, Lapilus is angling for a 2020 UFC return. With French MMA legalization going into effect in February, Lapilus seems like a layup signing for a home-country UFC return. What better way to get his foot back in the door than DWCS?

More fighters on the next page:

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