The 25-year-old Martin pushed her winning streak to four with a unanimous decision win over Micol De Segni on Week 9 of the Contender Series, but came away without a contract. Three months later, she was back in the cage, posting a fifth straight victory and now she’s been tabbed to replace Cortney Casey in a showdown with former Invicta FC titleholder Virna Jandiroba on Saturday.
Martin, who is a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, has been on a steady roll since losing back-to-back contests to Sunna Davidsdottir and Maycee Barber in 2017. She has excellent top control and pressures opponents into accepting one of two unfavorable options: either give up your back and get submitted or defend and catch these hands.
Strawweight has been in serious flux this past year, with the title changing hands on two different occasions and a handful of new contenders working their way into the Top 15, creating an opportunity for fighters like Martin to have an immediate impact in the division. Although Jandiroba dropped her UFC debut in April, the Brazilian is 14-1 overall with victories over Janiasa Morandin, Mizuki, and Amy Montenegro, amongst others, and represents a significant step up in competition for the American newcomer.
While it won’t vault her into the rankings, a victory on Saturday would extend her winning streak to six and establish Martin as one of the top up-and-comers to track in the division going forward, putting her in prime position to make a move up the division ladder in 2020.
