Jonathan Martinez now has something in common with UFC Fight Night 230 headliner Edson Barboza after picking up another TKO victory by leg kicks.
Martinez (19-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) faced Adrian Yanez on the main card of the event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas in what promised to be an exciting bantamweight bout between two solid strikers. Martinez was able to compromise the left leg of Yanez (16-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC), leading to a TKO at 2:26 of Round 2.
Once Martinez figured out the range, he began digging in hard calf kicks to the left leg of Yanez. Midway through the round, he connected with a kick that caused Yanez to stumble around while heavily favoring his limb. Martinez poured on the pressure and looked for another kick, but Yanez did well to recover to prevent a finish.
While Yanez fired back punches to keep Martinez honest, it was only a matter of time before another powerful kick connected with the calf, causing Yanez to drop to the canvas. Somehow the fight continued into the second round, but wouldn’t last much longer.
Martinez methodically stalked and waited for openings to land more heavy attacks to the left leg. He sent Yanez to the mat twice in Round 2 with leg kicks. The second time, referee Kerry Hatley decided to call a stop to the fight.
Check out video of the stoppage below (via X):
Jonathan Martinez gets another leg kick KO 😳 #UFCVegas81 pic.twitter.com/40iCerLPi3
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 15, 2023
Martinez joins Barboza as the only two fighters who have won multiple UFC bouts by leg kicks. Martinez’s other victory by such method was against Cub Swanson last year. Barboza pulled off leg kick victories against Mike Lullo at UFC 123 and Rafaello Oliveira at UFC 162.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 230 results include:
- Jonathan Martinez def. Adrian Yanez via TKO (leg kicks) – Round 2, 2:26
- Michel Pereira def. Andre Petroski via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:06
- Christian Rodriguez def. Cameron Saaiman via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Darren Elkins def. TJ Brown via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:23
- Tainara Lisboa def. Ravena Oliveira via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Terrance McKinney def. Brendon Marotte via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 0:20
- Melissa Dixon def. Irina Alekseeva via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Chris Gutierrez def. Heili Alateng via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Emily Ducote def. Ashley Yoder via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 230.
