Jonathan Martinez was impressive in victory against bantamweight veteran Frankie Saenz, stopping the Arizonan in the third round.
Saenz was aggressive from the start, using his strikes to set up a takedown in the first 30 seconds of the fight. Martinez rose quickly, but Saenz wasn’t letting go as he pinned his foe to the fence. Once Martinez got free, though, he used his striking to put Saenz on the defensive and keep him from getting the fight back to the canvas.
Martinez kept the pressure on Saenz in the second, and after ripping his opponent to the body, a kick upstairs rattled him in the second minute. Saenz tried to shake off the blows, but another head kick dropped him midway through the frame. A follow-up attack appeared to be the beginning of the end, but the now bloodied Saenz gamely rose and got back into the fray. Martinez remained patient, with a third left head kick scoring a second knockdown in the closing minute of the round. Martinez paused, expecting a stoppage from referee Chris Tognoni, but the bout made it to the end of the frame.
Saenz, refusing to back down, tried to make a late charge, but as he rushed forward, Martinez landed a flush left knee to the head, dropping the Arizonan. This time, the follow-up brought Tognoni in to stop the fight 57 seconds into round three.
With the win, Martinez, who came in overweight for the bout at 140 ½ pounds, moves to 12-3. Saenz falls to 13-7.
