LAS VEGAS – Jonathan Martinez’s performance inside the octagon at UFC on ESPN+ 31 was an eye-catching one, but it came with a caveat after a sizable weight miss on the scale the morning prior.
Martinez (12-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) missed the bantamweight limit by four-and-a -half pounds as he tipped the scale at 140.5 pounds for his clash with Frankie Saenz in Las Vegas. It took the shine off an otherwise superb weekend for the Factory X-trained fighter, who showcased his striking in fine style en route to a third-round stoppage victory.
Martinez arguably did enough to earn the stoppage in Round 2, but referee Chris Tognoni gave Saenz (12-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC) the opportunity to take the fight into the third round. However, Martinez kept his foot on the gas and earned the stoppage 57 seconds into the final frame to secure an impressive win.
Speaking to the media, including MMA Junkie, after his victory, Martinez admitted he didn’t expect the fight to go as far as it did after he poured on the pressure in Round 2.
“Yeah, it did surprise me,” he said. “I thought that he would stop it in the second round. I was starting to feel bad. I think I told him, ‘Hey, just stay down.'”
Martinez wouldn’t be drawn on who he’d like to face next, saying he’d discuss his options with his management and his team at Factory X. But he did promise to put his weigh-in faux-pas behind him in his upcoming fights.
“Man, I just had some troubles, but I’ll get that fixed and it won’t happen again,” Martinez said. “I’ll make weight the next time.”
