Bantamweight action on the UFC Las Vegas main card saw the surging Jonathan Martinez paired up with #14 ranked Said Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov had been on a hot streak of his own entering the fight, with both men having won four straight — but only one was ranked, with Martinez looking to break into the top 15.
The bout was fairly even throughout, with Nurmagomedov leading the striking exchanges, and Martinez utilizing his grappling to get into advanced positions. Following an action-packed first round, Martinez controlled Nurmagomedov against the cage for much of the second frame, which seemed to be a crucial part of his game plan heading into the bout.
Martinez took control as the fight went on, landing a multitude of significant strikes in the clinch before locking in a deep armbar attempt late into the third round. Nurmagomedov locked Martinez in a deep body triangle, though he was unable to do much with the dominant position. The fight would go to the judges’ scorecards, where Martinez was named the winner of an entertaining, back-and-forth bantamweight scrap.
Another end to another amazing fight. This card has been 🔥#UFCLasVegas pic.twitter.com/t3HsZrvF6R
— UFC (@ufc) March 12, 2023
Martinez will likely enter the bantamweight rankings and look for another top-15 opponent his next time out, while Nurmagomedov will probably lose his place in the top-15 and may look for a quick turnaround to regain ranked status.
Official Result: Jonathan Martinez def. Said Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
