LAS VEGAS – Jonathan Martinez is looking to capitalize on the opportunity of facing Adrian Yanez.
Martinez (18-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) meets Yanez (16-4 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in a bantamweight bout in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 230 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event streams on ESPN+.
Martinez sees a win over a fan favorite like Yanez give him more recognition, and a higher spot in the rankings.
“A win with this, it’s going to help a lot,” Martinez told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I could go up to the top 10 and stuff.”
Yanez suffered his first octagon loss in April when he was knocked out by Rob Font. Prior to that, he won nine straight fights – including bonuses in his first five UFC wins.
Martinez has quietly climbed up the rankings, scoring a marquee finish of Cub Swanson in his most recent outing last October. He explained how his booking with Yanez came together.
“He’s a really good opponent,” Martinez said. “When his name came up, because we were all hanging out at International Fight Week, but I know he was looking for an opponent. I was looking for one too, and then: Now we’re fighting.”
Watch Martinez’s full pre-fight interview in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 230.
