Back from Paris, France, the UFC hits Las Vegas for UFC 279. Headlined by Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Dias we’ve also got Kevin Holland, Tony Ferguson, Irene Aldana, and more. Well, now we have Diaz vs. Ferguson as the headliner, and Chimaev vs. Holland, but you get the picture. On the prelims Hannah Cifers was supposed to be welcoming Melissa Martinez to the UFC. Now welcoming Martinez will be Elise Reed (5-2, 1-2 UFC).
Melissa “Super Melly” Martinez
Standing at 5’2″
Fighting at 115 lbs (strawweight)
25-years-old
Fighting out of Mexico City, Distrito Federal
Training out of Bonebreakers Team
A pro record of 7-0
5 KO/TKOs
How will Martinez fare in the UFC:
Martinez is a nice signing for the UFC but there are a few things to be mentioned. First, Martinez hasn’t fought in almost three years. Second, that last fight she had against Des Yanez, she arguably lost that fight. Super Melly has had some exciting fights and highlight reel knockouts. As nice as that is to see coming from a strawweight, she is doing it against poor competition.
Martinez is solely a striker with a very little ground game. Her offensive grappling is complacent but takedown defense and being off her back are her biggest weaknesses. Getting Martinez down though is a little tough because of her active footwork. Once tracked down the right wrestler will be able to put her down.
Super Melly is kickboxing heavy. Most of her damage is afflicted off her kicks. Even though Martinez throws a lot of single kicks she is never repetitive and always throws something different. She throws traditional kicks to the legs, body, and head but will throw a lot of sidekicks, hook kicks, front kicks, and other flashy kicks as well. Martinez is at her best when she’s warmed up and really putting it together. When she starts putting punches in front and behind kicks it’s extremely tough to slow her down. Martinez in her grove is throwing a lot of volume and is attacking from all angles.
