“The squeaky wheel gets the grease” proves to be a tale as old as time when it comes to MMA awards. But the Under-the-Radar Fighter of the Year honor can allow for the quieter brands of quality to sneak through.
With that in mind, I thought it would be the perfect time to award one of the softest-spoken UFC talents, Jonathan Martinez.
Not only did Martinez add two impressive names to his resume in 2023, but the Factory X Muay Thai product also represented his team well by joining Edson Barboza as the only two fighters to finish multiple UFC opponents with leg kicks when he defeated Adrian Yanez this past October.
Jonathan Martinez joins Edson Barboza to become the only two fighters in UFC history to get multiple TKO's via leg kicks.pic.twitter.com/ZHxYcazyFx
— AFeldmanMMA (@afeldMMA) October 15, 2023
That win over Yanez marked Martinez’s sixth straight with the promotion, and he’s won eight of his past nine overall.
But if you actually understand what bodywork is and rewatch Martinez’s split decision loss to Andre Ewell at UFC 247, you’ll find some of the worst scores I’ve witnessed in the past half-decade in what should’ve been a clean sweep for Martinez.
Swinging WILD to end the round!
Ewell and Martinez leaving…
