Jordan Leavitt came away from a high profile fight with Paddy Pimblett with a loss, but he looked to rebound against fellow DWCS alum Victor Martinez at UFC Vegas 70.
Martinez had won his contract in 2021, but had yet to make his debut prior to the arrival of Saturday night’s contest. The young man looked to take down a five fight UFC veteran early on in his career, but Leavitt had something to say about that as he looked to hold onto his winning (3-2) record in the promotion.
The fighters came out and felt each other out. Jordan used front kicks and other types, smartly as the taller fighter, and Martinez was boxing-heavy. After a minute, Leavitt went for a takedown but Martinez defended well and escaped after Leavitt held him in the cage for a few seconds. Martinez was getting through Leavitt’s guard when he could get past the long limbs, but he often fell short as kicks herded him away.
Leavitt then suddenly used a double collar tie like a Muay Thai fighter and blasted Martinez with knees that crumpled him against the fence. One more pushed him to the ground where Jason Herzog stepped in after brief ground and pound.
This was only Leavitt’s second TKO victory in thirteen pro fights, but also his second in six UFC fights. ‘The Monkey King’ rebounded from a tough loss in incredible style. Comically, Leavitt said in his post-fight interview that, “I’ve never rocked anybody before,” referring to his previous lack of knockout power.
Official Result: Jordan Leavitt def. Victor Martinez by TKO (knees), Round 1, 2:27
