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Dan Ige | A Change Can Do You Good
Veteran Discusses Shift To Bantamweight, Matchup With David Martinez Saturday At Noche UFC
Every fighter has different things they view as their “Fight Week Essentials,” and for Dan Ige, the proximity of this weekend’s event to his home in Las Vegas made it possible for him to have one of the most important pieces of his daily routine with him in his hotel room.
“My buddy Tony Diaz drove my Tesla, and I just buckled that in my backseat,” Ige said of his La Marzocco Micra espresso machine that made the trip to Glendale, Arizona, this week, where the veteran makes his bantamweight debut opposite David Martinez in the opening bout of Saturday’s Noche UFC main card. “It just eases the tension a little bit because I get what I want.”
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A quality espresso is always welcome, but it holds a little additional value for Ige this week as the 35-year-old Hawaiian spent the last several months preparing to compete at 135 pounds for the first time, which has meant being even more consistent and dialed in with nutrition.
At times, when a fighter moves down a division — especially when it’s a veteran — the belief is that it’s a reactive move made as a counter to recent struggles as few competitors move down while in the midst of a winning streak. And while Ige’s shift does come after a pair of setbacks, it was the time on the sidelines following his February fight with Melquizael Costa that gave him the opportunity to explore the idea fully and determine whether it was a viable option.
“Honestly, it just started from a thought,” he said. “At a point in my career, I said I would never go to down to bantamweight. I remember a long time ago, Khabib (Nurmagomedov) said, ‘Brother, you gotta go bantamweight’ and I was like, ‘Why would I go to bantamweight? I’ll be at lightweight before you see me at bantamweight,’ and here we are… I never felt undersized at featherweight. I felt good. I felt strong. But, the frame difference was always the biggest problem I had to deal with, and I usually do well with guys with big frames.”
Over the course of his nine-plus year run in the 145-pound ranks, Ige held his own with physically imposing featherweights like Diego Lopes, Josh Emmett, and Edson Barboza and scored his last win over the towering Sean Woodson.
After some minor injuries, Ige had time to think, and the decision was made.
“A month passed by of having that time off and rehabbing, and I realized, I’m (weighing) what I walk into Fight Week at because I wasn’t training, wasn’t really lifting much,” he said. “That’s when the thought came about. From that thought started a conversation: I talked with the dieticians at the UFC PI, did all the scans and testing. I was right on the border of being a very jacked bantamweight, and I couldn’t get rid of that thought in my head of, ‘Man, can I do this? Is it possible?’ … My faith, my beliefs, I feel like sometimes God will just plant a seed in your head — an idea, a vision, a dream. The more I thought about it, the more it became a reality and a possibility.”
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Before fully committing to the shift, Ige went through a practice cut, putting himself through the paces of a typical fight camp with the only piece missing being the opportunity to punch someone in the face and get paid for it at the end. His logic was simple: do the cut, do everything in terms of preparing for a fight and go from there.
“I felt really good, which was the biggest factor,” he said. “(The big question was), ‘How am I gonna feel after this, because if I don’t feel good, it’s probably not worth it,’ but I felt really good. I’ve felt the best I’ve felt in years. I’m excited, man.”
That excitement isn’t just reserved for how he’s feeling physically heading into this weekend either as the change in divisions brings with it a host of new opportunities.
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It’s easy to overlook the challenge of being a top-15 mainstay. When you’ve logged 12 years and more than 20 trips to the Octagon while in a single division, matchups that make sense and are exciting can become scarce.
“(Longevity) can be a blessing and a curse,” explained Ige. “You get stuck there because you’ve fought everyone, the UFC doesn’t really like to do a lot of rematches, and being that I just turned 35, I really didn’t want to sit around and wait for the perfect fight.”
With his test cut completed and feeling great about the move, the soft-spoken and heavy-handed veteran began working with the matchmakers to find the right opponent for his debut. With his third child on the way, Ige wanted to get a fight in before his wife’s November due date, and the combination of Noche UFC and Martinez’s top-10 ranking made for a strong pitch.
“I was willing to fight someone outside of the rankings,” Ige said. “I offered and brought up some potential matchups, but they were like, ‘We wanna get you someone ranked right away.’ Martinez is ranked in the top-10, I knew Noche was coming up, so I threw it out there, and it landed.
“They show me a lot of respect,” he added. “I’ve been a ‘company man’ since day one. I’ve never turned down a fight, I’ve always been the one to step-up to opportunities when given, and I’ve spent my time there, earned my time in the rankings, so it doesn’t really surprise me. I believe that’s where I should be.”
In order to prove that’s where he should be, Ige will have to get through the streaking 28-year-old Mexican, who claimed a spot on the roster with a win on Season 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series and tallied victories in each of his first three UFC appearances. Martinez’s last two wins have come against veteran opposition — a short-notice win over Rob Font at Noche UFC last year in San Antonio, followed by a similar effort on a full camp against Marlon “Chito” Vera in Mexico City in February.
“He’s well-rounded; he’s pretty good,” Ige said. “There’s nothing he does that I’m like, ‘Wow — this guy is different.’ He’s a competitor, he can sustain a pace, and that’s probably his greatest attribute is that he can go out there and fight for 15 minutes hard. He moves well, he’s kind of unpredictable of when he’s gonna throw, so timing will be very important, cut-offs will be very important.
“At the same time, he beat two pretty good guys in Rob Font and Chito,” he added. “I think my experience will play a giant factor in this fight. I have 21 fights at the highest level, and now, I have a fresh slate with a whole bunch of experience. It’s almost a cheat code.”
Armed with the benefits of an extended career competing against some of the best in the world, Ige is primed to embark on this new adventure on Saturday, keen to show that he’s made the correct decision and start chasing down some of the intriguing new possibilities that exist for him in the bantamweight division.
“I expect to just go out there and put on the best performance I’ve ever put on,” he said. “I’m well-prepared to do so. I’m in great shape and condition. My body’s conditioned. My mind’s conditioned. My spirit’s conditioned. I feel excited… I really do feel it deep in my soul that I’ll go out there and put on a brilliant performance. Mentally, I prepare for three rounds. Physically, I’m prepared for three rounds, but if I see any opening to finish the fight, I’m definitely gonna go out there and take it — make a statement and create some excitement in the division.”
Noche UFC: Silva vs Delgado took place live from Desert Diamond Arena In Glendale, Arizona on September 12, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!