Athletes
Jonathan Martinez Has Momentum
Bantamweight Looks To Extend His Six-Fight Winning Streak Against Former Bantamweight Champion José Aldo During UFC 301 Co-Main Event.
I don’t know if the members of the Factory X gym in Englewood, Colorado were chanting “Uh vai morrer” on Friday sparring days as Jonathan Martinez prepared for his UFC 301 bout with Jose Aldo, but when it happens for real on Saturday night in Rio de Janeiro, the “Dragon” will be ready for it.
He might even like it.
“Honestly, I'm kind of excited,” Martinez laughs when asked about the probability that fans at Farmasi Arena will be telling him he’s going to die on fight night. “I kind of like it when they say that, so it'd be pretty cool to me. I don't know what they're saying, but I'm like, okay, they're cheering for me. (Laughs) So I'm actually really excited about going in there and just showing out. I've done that so many times, going to different places and fighting other people, so it's no big deal. I'm going to have a crowd, and that's something I wanted, so now I get that chance, too.”
Jonathan Martinez Fight Week Interview | UFC 301
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Jonathan Martinez Fight Week Interview | UFC 301
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The 12th ranked bantamweight enters this weekend’s co-main event on a six-fight winning streak that has momentum clearly on his side against the UFC Hall of Famer, who returns from a nearly two-year retirement to fight in his hometown with a roaring crowd in his corner. Martinez has fought five of his last six in the UFC APEX in Las Vegas without a packed arena. And the one fight he did have outside the APEX at The Theater at Virgin Hotels against Said Nurmagomedov was in front of less than 2,500 fans. So whether they’re cheering for or against him, Martinez just wants to hear some noise.
That’s almost shocking to hear, considering the soft-spoken southpaw is one of those folks who doesn’t run towards attention, but away from it. Yet slowly but surely, the 30-year-old from Texas is warming up to the whole process that goes along with being one of the top fighters in his weight class.
“Yeah, I'm starting to,” he said. “I still get a little bit nervous on the interviews here and there, but other than that, it's getting better.”
On the day we spoke, Martinez was in the midst of an interview blitz, prompting me to ask if he was hating life at that moment. He laughed, which may have been a first in our nearly six years of chatting about fights.
“No, it's good,” he said. “It's a good experience.”
And right on time. Six straight wins in the stacked bantamweight division isn’t easy to achieve, and with some of his victims being Cub Swanson and Adrian Yanez, if he makes it seven against Aldo, the second half of 2024 is going to look pretty interesting for him. And he’s defeated one Hall of Famer in Swanson, so does that make it easier to fight another one.
“I'm not like, ‘Oh my God, I'm fighting him,’” Martinez said. “After the fight, yeah. But in the fight, I'm just locked in. It’s me or him, so I don't really feel pressure or nothing like that.”
Stylistically, it’s a fight that promises excitement, especially if you’re a fan of leg kicks, but Martinez isn’t banking on 15 minutes of standing and trading. He’s preparing for anything, because he doesn’t want to get caught napping and lose his spot in the 135-pound pecking order.
“I like his style,” he said. “But it’s just another style to prove myself against and, after this, I keep going up from here, so I just got to go in there and perform.”
MORE UFC 301: Pantoja Interview | Erceg Interview | Kowalkiewicz Interview | Craig Interview | Fantasy Stats | Petrino's Best | Aldo's Best
Perform. It’s something Martinez probably didn’t pay attention to when he was starting out. Back then, it was go in there, fight, and win. But to get the public on your side, you have to give them something to cheer about, and that’s what he’s been doing. It’s perfect timing, as he may be in – or approaching – his prime.
“I'm training super hard, and I am trying to reach that level, and I feel like I'm reaching it,” he said. I'm 30, and I feel really good. And going against someone like Aldo, that's a pretty good experience and I just feel like I'm hungry right now and I'm starting to put everything together.”
UFC 301: Pantoja vs Erceg took place live from Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 4, 2024. See the Final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
