Bantamweights
Said Nurmagomedov (17-2, 6-1 UFC) vs. Jonathan Martinez (17-4, 8-3 UFC)Bantamweight is the gift that keeps on giving, with yet another excellent fight at 135 pounds. Of no blood relation to Khabib Nurmagomedov and his kin, Said Nurmagomedov is much more in the style of Zabit Magomedsharipov as compared to the rest of the UFC’s Dagestani contingent. Long for the bantamweight division, Nurmagomedov would mostly like to keep his opponents at bay with an impressively quick kicking game from range. That has been enough to carry Nurmagomedov against a lot of competition, but he can also hold his own in close range. Wins over both Cody Stamann and Saidyokub Kakhramonov have seen him find sudden success with what is quickly becoming a signature guillotine choke. Nurmagomedov plays an interesting inside-outside game, but there is the sense that someone able to shut down one phase of his approach can bring the whole thing crashing down. This time, Martinez steps up to the task. For a while, Martinez was on the shortlist of the most anonymous fighters on the UFC roster. Possessing an unspectacularly well-rounded style and without a particularly big personality, “Dragon” chugged along on the prelims for a few years before getting the call as Thomas Almeida’s comeback opponent in 2020. The Factory X rep got the win in a fight most notable for Almeida’s poor performance—it essentially marked the end of the former top prospect’s time as an effective fighter—but it gave Martinez enough profile to at least factor into the UFC’s plans going forward. Naturally, Martinez then got surprisingly knocked out by Davey Grant in his next performance, but he has rebounded with four straight wins, capped by an October victory over Cub Swanson that served as a true breakout. Leg kicks have been an important part of Martinez’s game, but the win over Swanson saw him use them as the backbone of a complete performance, showing some newfound aggression and eventually chopping down the respected vet. That is the type of showing that makes this fight much more interesting. Prior to that, Martinez figured to be a tough out but also too static of a fighter to make much hay against Nurmagomedov’s quick and movement-heavy style. Nurmagomedov still gets the nod as the rightful favorite, but if Martinez finds some early success landing some damage to the Russian’s legs, there is the chance he can use a hot start to slow him down and change the shape of the fight. The pick is Nurmagomedov via decision.
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Yan vs. Dvalishvili
Romanov vs. Volkov
Krylov vs. Spann
Ramos vs. Lingo
Nurmagomedov vs. Martinez
Petrino vs. Turkalj
The Prelims