Anthony Rocco Martin has been on a roll of late, but he understands if you might not have noticed.
The 29-year-old improved to 4-0 since moving to 170 pounds with a decision victory over Sergio Moraes at UFC Fight Night 146 in Wichita, Kan., on Saturday night. During this current stretch, the American Top Team representative has also bested Jake Matthews, Ryan LaFlare and Keita Nakamura. None of those opponents are household names, but there are no pushovers on that list, either.
Martin is confident that if he continues to progress the way he has, things will fall into place.
“I’ve been beating guys that are not big names. That’s the problem I’ve been running into,” he said. “I’ve been fighting the killers with no name. That’s tough, because if you lose those fights you drop down major spots. You beat those guys, you never know if you’re getting a ranked guy next. I just handle my business. I’m 4-0 at welterweight and I feel phenomenal. I think I’m just now taping into my potential. This is just the beginning.”
Martin went 4-4 at 155 pounds before moving up a division. However, he has been trending upward since before his move to welterweight: Since 2016, Martin has been victorious in seven of his eight Octagon appearances.
Next, Martin is eyeing a spot on the UFC’s upcoming card in Minneapolis, which takes place on June 29 at the Target Center and will air on ESPN and ESPN+. Martin helps run an MMA school in Minnesota with his mentor, Brock Larson.
“There’s no way the UFC can go to Minneapolis and not have me on that card,” Martin said. “I want the toughest guy in the world. It seems like those guys in the top 10 and 15 keep switching spots. I think my body of work has proven I should be in the rankings. I should be fighting a ranked fighter. I started in Minneapolis and I’m the biggest star in Minneapolis. It just seems like it’s all lined up perfectly for me.”