Tag: Jonathan Martinez

Ranked Bantamweight Jonathan Martinez Set To Return At MSG-Held UFC 309

The lineup for the UFC’s return to Madison Square Garden is beginning to come together, and it now includes a top 15 bantamweight in Jonathan Martinez. Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion will soon be back in New York City for its usual November event at MSG. As was the plan for last year’s card, a […]

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The lineup for the UFC’s return to Madison Square Garden is beginning to come together, and it now includes a top 15 bantamweight in Jonathan Martinez.

Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion will soon be back in New York City for its usual November event at MSG. As was the plan for last year’s card, a heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and returning legend Stipe Miocic is expected to serve as the UFC 309 main event.

Below the headliners, fans will no doubt be expecting a number of exciting matchups for the high-profile event. And when it comes to the chances of delivering fireworks, they would appear to be high for the recently confirmed bantamweight bout between Martinez (19-5) and Marcus McGhee (9-1).

The fight was announced this week by the pair’s management team, Iridium Sports Agency.

Martinez Targets Bounce-Back Win After Disappointing Defeat To Aldo

When he returns on November 16, Martinez will be searching for a quick rebound performance following a setback on Brazilian soil this past May.

Martinez, who currently occupies the #13 spot at 135 pounds, was chosen to welcome the legendary José Aldo back from retirement at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro. Having risen the ladder with six straight wins and recently defeated the highly touted Adrian Yañez, “The Dragon” was targeting the biggest victory of his career to date at the expense of the former featherweight kingpin.

But the 30-year-old ultimately fell short, putting on a gun-shy display that paved the way for Aldo to secure a comfortable unanimous decision victory in his comeback fight and a return to the bantamweight division’s top 10.

If he’s to avoid the first losing skid of his professional career, Martinez must now defend his ranking opposite McGhee. “The Maniac” has made a splash in his short Octagon career thus far, going 3-0 since his signing in 2023. The former LFA standout is yet to reach the scorecards in the UFC, finishing Journey Newson and Gaston Bolaños by way of knockout and JP Buys via submission.

With this addition, the current fights expected to take place at UFC 309 on Nov. 16 are as follows:

  • Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov (light heavyweight)
  • Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders (middleweight)
  • Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee (bantamweight)
  • Karine Silva vs. Viviane Araújo (women’s flyweight)
  • Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura (women’s flyweight)
Araújo
Image: UFC/Zuffa LLC

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Jonathan Martinez Calls For Dominick Cruz Sphere Showdown After Taking Issue With His Commentary

Jonathan Martinez has a bone to pick with former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, one that he wants to settle in the unique surroundings of the Sphere this fall. Martinez is on the hunt for his next assignment on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage following a disappointing night at the office in Rio de Janeiro, […]

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Jonathan Martinez has a bone to pick with former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, one that he wants to settle in the unique surroundings of the Sphere this fall.

Martinez is on the hunt for his next assignment on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage following a disappointing night at the office in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this past May, where he fell to defeat at the hands of the returning José Aldo in the UFC 301 co-main event.

Having risen into the rankings at 135 pounds courtesy of six straight wins following a knockout loss to Davey Grant, Martinez looked to ride the momentum from victories over Cub Swanson, Said Nurmagomedov, and Adrian Yañez into his showdown with the UFC legend.

Unfortunately for the #14-ranked contender, he was convincingly outpointed at Jeunesse Arena, and he subsequently had to watch on as Aldo returned to the top 10 spot he had desired.

A couple of months on, the Factory X standout is looking ahead to his opportunity to bounce back, and he hopes it’ll come against another prominent name in the sport…

Martinez Was ‘Never A Fan’ Of Cruz

During an interview with MMA Junkie at UFC X during International Fight Week, Martinez reflected on his setback in South America and named his preferred option moving forward.

After outlining his desire to join the lineup for the upcoming pay-per-view event at Las Vegas’ Sphere on September 14, Martinez pitched former champion Dominick Cruz as the ideal opponent.

Explaining that choice, the 30-year-old Californian said he’s been noting some frustrating remarks from “The Dominator” while he’s been commentating over his fights in recent times.

“I want to be on that (Sphere) card in September,” Martinez said. “I want to be on that card, and I’ve been hearing Dominick Cruz wants to fight on that date, too. Hopefully they give me him. I just hear him every time I fight he’s always saying, ‘I don’t know why they don’t check Jonathan’s kicks.’ Put him in front of me and let him do that and see what happens.”

While analyzing his defeat to Aldo, Martinez admitted that he was somewhat starstruck by the “King of Rio” on May 4. Suffice to say, he wouldn’t have that issue should he be stood across from Cruz inside the cage down the line…

“I was never a fan. He was just there to me.”

The promotion is set to stage its second Mexican Independence Day celebration, titled Riyadh Season Noche UFC, from the Sphere on September 14.

While nothing major has been announced toward the top of the card to date, the likes of Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez, Yazmin Jauregui, and Edgar Cháirez are among the names with reported matchups for the lineup thus far.

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Jose Aldo returns from retirement with stellar decision win over Jonathan Martinez in Brazil – UFC 301 Highlights

Jose Aldo ends his retirement with stellar decision win over Jonathan Martinez UFC 301 HighlightsFormer undisputed featherweight champion and Hall of Fame inductee, Jose Aldo rolled back the clock tonight in Rio de…

Jose Aldo ends his retirement with stellar decision win over Jonathan Martinez UFC 301 Highlights

Former undisputed featherweight champion and Hall of Fame inductee, Jose Aldo rolled back the clock tonight in Rio de Janeiro, landing a one-sided unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) victory over streaking bantamweight contender, Jonathan Martinez in the co-main event of UFC 301.

Aldo, a former undisputed featherweight champion, who received his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame ‘Fighter Wing’ last summer, ended a two-year retirement from mixed martial arts tonight in his co-main event return to Brazil against the above-mentioned Factory X MMA staple, Martinez.

Jose Aldo UFC 301 2

Showing off his much-evolved boxing arsenal — following a pair of boxing bouts that took place in his two years away from the Octagon, Aldo managed to take the first two rounds against Martinez with relative ease on the feet.

And in the third and final round, turning the screw on an aggressive Martinez who sought out a finish of his own to keep his impressive six-fight winning run alive, was clipped with a staggering left hook from Jose Aldo — before he found himself on the receiving end of a takedown from the Manaus native.

Jose Aldo UFC 301 4

Turning in a unanimous judging win to much avail in front of his home crowd, Aldo, who completed his contractual obligations with his win tonight against Martinez, hinted at a meeting with promotional brass in order to potentially trash out one final championship run.

Jose Aldo UFC 301

Below, catch the highlights from Jose Aldo’s decision win in his UFC 301 return

UFC Fight Night 221 Sleeper Scrap: Said Nurmagomedov vs. Jonathan Martinez

Welcome to the MMA News’ Sleeper Scrap! The relentless schedule of the MMA world means that some fans don’t have a full look at a fight card until days before the event, leaving the promoters to decide which bouts you should be paying the most attentio…

Welcome to the MMA News’ Sleeper Scrap! The relentless schedule of the MMA world means that some fans don’t have a full look at a fight card until days before the event, leaving the promoters to decide which bouts you should be paying the most attention to. Everyone wants to tune in for main events…

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Cub Swanson Speaks Out Following Bantamweight Debut Loss

UFC veteran Cub Swanson has broken his social media silence following his loss to Jonathan Martinez at UFC Vegas 62 on Saturday. Swanson lost to Martinez in his bantamweight debut in the UFC Vegas 62 co-main event. After a back-and-forth first round, a…

UFC veteran Cub Swanson has broken his social media silence following his loss to Jonathan Martinez at UFC Vegas 62 on Saturday. Swanson lost to Martinez in his bantamweight debut in the UFC Vegas 62 co-main event. After a back-and-forth first round, an accumulation of low leg kicks proved too much for him to handle…

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MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes Of The Week (10/9-10/15)

Welcome to this week’s edition of MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes of the week! Every week there’s highlight-reel finishes all across the MMA world, and we’ve found some of the absolute best ones to showcase. The UFC returned over the weekend with a solid car…

Welcome to this week’s edition of MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes of the week! Every week there’s highlight-reel finishes all across the MMA world, and we’ve found some of the absolute best ones to showcase. The UFC returned over the weekend with a solid card that provided several of the week’s best highlights. LFA and…

Continue Reading MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes Of The Week (10/9-10/15) at MMA News.