Jonathan Martinez talks UFC Vegas 71 win and being ranked
Jonathan Martinez is officially a ranked bantamweight fighter in the UFC.
Coming into his fight against Said Nurmagomedov at UFC Vegas 71, it was Nurmagomedov who was ranked and Martinez who was looking to crack the top 15.
On fight the two big and tall 135 pound contenders would lay it all out on the line and showed that they both have what it takes to make a run in the division as they put on a show for the fans in attendance at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas.
In the opening round, almost every aspect of mixed martial arts was on display as the round saw everything. Both fighters landed big punches and kicks that clipped one another. Nurmagomedov would land a takedown and attempted a submission, but Martinez was able to get away. Finally, Martinez would clinch along the fence and land short shots.
After a high paced opening round, things continued in the second with Nurmagomedov landed a takedown, but Martinez would eventually work his way back to his feet. Nurmagomedov would then try for another takedown, but Martinez stuffed this one and went to work in the clinch to end the round on a strong note.
Finally, in the last round, Nurmagomedov would get another takedown and this time Martinez reserved it and nearly had a submission.
Once the two got back to their feet, the exchanged back-and-forth to end a very close fight.
After the fight horn sounded, the judges back Martinez the slight edge on the scorecards to give him a unanimous decision win.
That win would give him Nurmagomedov’s spot in the rankings as on Tuesday, the UFC updated their rankings system and placed Martinez as the No. 14 ranked contender.
Following the win, Martinez spoke to MyMMANews about his win, his ranking and how he hopes to fight former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz or former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in his next fight.
You can watch his full interview in the video above.
