Welterweights
NR | Ramazan Emeev (18-3) vs. NR | Anthony Rocco Martin (16-5)ODDS: Emeev (-155), Martin (+135)
While Martin’s move up to welterweight has mostly been a success, things might turn here. Martin was particularly raw when the UFC picked him up as a lightweight in 2014, but he did well to learn on the job, even if things tended to follow the same pattern. Martin could often get by early as a grappler who was massive for the division, but he would inevitably tire out and start losing down the stretch. Developing a decent striking game helped alleviate the situation, but after one too many losses, Martin moved to welterweight and immediately enjoyed more success, rattling off four straight wins. The increased gas tank and power at welterweight paid huge dividends -- Martin even scored a third-round knockout of Ryan LaFlare -- as it pushed him to the fringes of the Top 15 and earned him a shot at Demian Maia in June. Unfortunately, Martin just became a victim of Maia’s resurgent 2019. While there is no shame in losing to one of the sport’s most decorated grapplers, the UFC has not done him many favors with a difficult rebound fight against Emeev.
In a deep welterweight division, Emeev might just be the worst opponent for anyone to face. He is a solid fighter but has yet to carry much name value, and despite having a well-rounded bag of tools, “Gorets” is committed to making things an absolute grind. Fights against Sam Alvey, Alberto Mina and Stefan Sekulic have all gone the same way. Emeev is committed to pressure, but rather than throwing volume, the Russian steps into the clinch, neutralizes his opponent and then does it all over again. Hopefully, Emeev soon reaches a level that forces him to branch out his game, and for now, Martin draws the short straw to try to be the man to make that happen.
This actually is a fascinating test for Emeev. Even if this was an older version of Martin that was purely a grappler, his size could cause some concerns, but it is even more interesting now that he has fleshed out his striking. There is a chance that Martin can just win a range kickboxing match on volume, but the dirty secret of his game is that for all his offensive grappling success, he is not all that effective when the tables can be turned on him. The likeliest scenario sees Emeev turn this into a grind and keep control for three rounds. The pick is Emeev via decision.
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