Impact It was a mixed-bag performance from Martinez. As a -300 favorite he was projected to win quite easily, and for the most part, that's exactly what happened. Facing an opponent in Vera that is a notoriously slow starter, Martinez easily won Round 1, landing plenty of big power shots along the way. He became increasingly less effective as the fight progressed, primarily because his pace appeared to slow, although you wouldn't be able to tell that by his output. Vera was definitely the more effective fighter in the closing minutes of the fight and that's something Martinez will have to work on moving forward. If this bout was tied at a round a piece, he would have lost. The 27-year-old has won all three of his UFC fights since officially joining the company about 11 months ago.
MARCH 1 • ROTOWIRE
