Henry Martinez might have lost to Matthew Riddle on Saturday night in his UFC debut, but his performance was encouraging enough to believe he has a bright future in front of him.
The American fighter showed off some terrific counterattacking skills in the first round and really seemed to be in control of the fight at that point. He let down his guard a little bit over the final two rounds, though, but he could have still emerged victorious.
Riddle got the win via split decision in the end. That means Martinez will be under a lot of pressure in his next fight to prove he has what it takes to cut it at this level. There is only so much room on cards, so a couple bad outings will doom a fighter’s chance.
That shouldn’t be the case for Martinez. He stood toe-to-toe with a UFC veteran for three rounds and didn’t appear to be holding back, like is the case for so many fresh faces attempting to avoid getting knocked out in their first UFC bout.
It’s all about bringing the same intensity and aggressiveness to every round like he did in the first at UFC 143. If he can bring that style all the time, he’ll become a really difficult opponent to match up with because opponents will know if they let down for one second, he’ll take advantage.
The loss drops his career record to a still-respectable 8-2, but does break his four-match winning streak that dated back to 2010.
He’s been given an opportunity to shine on the sport’s biggest stage and now he knows exactly what it will take to pick up wins. The talent is clearly there, now it’s about working hard before his next fight to optimize his chances inside the octagon.
Look for Martinez to come out like a man on a mission next time around to get his career back moving in the right direction.
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