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David Martinez | Step Into The Fire Zone
Mexican Knockout Artist Welcomes Dan Ige To The Bantamweight Division, And Promises To Bring The Heat
David Martinez wants to show that he’s ready to face the bantamweight elite by defeating a veteran who has been mixing it with the best in the division above.
Mexico’s Martinez returns to action at Noche UFC in Glendale, Arizona on Saturday night, where he’s excited to fly the flag for his nation on Mexican Independence Day weekend.
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“It's very special because it's a good month for Mexico,” he told UFC.com. “It’s a special month for Mexico. It's a special event, and I am ready for this fight.”
Martinez will take on former featherweight contender Dan Ige, who is making the drop down to bantamweight for the first time in his UFC career. It’s a chance for Martinez to pit his skills against a respected veteran of the game to help prove that he’s ready for a step up in competition at 135 pounds.
“It's an honor to fight with Dan Ige,” he said. “Because he has a lot of time in the company and he has a good record.”
Ige brings a wealth of experience to the Octagon, as well as a well-rounded, dangerous skill set that kept him among the best in the world at 145 pounds over the last few years. Now he’s moving down to bantamweight; Martinez is looking forward to testing his own skills against Ige’s.
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“I am happy to welcome Dan Ige to bantamweight,” he said. “This is a different division. He has good fights in the other division, he’s fought the biggest names in the other division. But this is a different division, with different people and different skills.”
Martinez has already proved himself to be ready for a shot at the bantamweight elite. Successive unanimous decision victories over veteran contenders Rob Font and Marlon Vera took his record to 14-1, and his win streak to 10 fights.
Now he’s set to face another experienced, well-rounded operator, but one who is used to facing bigger, stronger opposition. It’s a test Martinez is excited to take on, and he promised that he’ll stay true to his “stand and bang” tendencies by standing in the pocket with Ige on fight night as he bids to register knockout victory number 11 of his career.
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“He wants to pressure, to move forward,” he said. “He has good striking. He has a lot of power in his hands, and he has knockouts and submissions, but I like it, too. I like to exchange hands and stay in the fire zone. This is good for the people, this is good for the company, and it’s [going to be] a good performance.”
David Martinez: "It's An Honor To Fight Dan Ige" | Noche UFC
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David Martinez: "It's An Honor To Fight Dan Ige" | Noche UFC
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Martinez is rightly considered a major threat at 135 pounds, so it’s easy to forget he’s only had three fights in the UFC so far. It means the Mexican is still learning at the very highest level as he looks to refine his game under the bright lights of the “Ultimate Proving Ground,” and he said his victories against Font and Vera both offered opportunities to improve his game.
“I studied my last fights, and I learned a lot of things,” he admitted. “Because when I fought with ‘Chito’ Vera and Rob Font, it's a different type of fight, and this helped me to [prepare] better for the next fight.”
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Martinez will be hoping to put those learnings to good use when he faces Ige on Saturday night. Ultimately, Martinez has his sights set on bantamweight gold, and he wants to add another impressive win to his record to push him one step closer to a title shot.
“I don't know [how far away I am]. Maybe one more fight, maybe two,” he said.
“But the first one is to win this fight. My mind and my focus are just on Saturday and winning this fight.”
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