Introduction
Friday, May 28th, American heavyweight prospect Brett Martin will be in action for XFC, where he will be looking to continue his winning ways against an opponent to be determined. He will be looking for another win, as Martin looks to continue his winning streak in an attempt to snag a UFC contract. He represents Triumph MMA, a smaller camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Wrestling: Martin’s background is in wrestling, and it shows in his fights. He is a strong dude that can muscle dudes to the ground with ease. He also is known to be able to land big slams in the cage as well. Once he puts his opponent on the mat, Martin is a lot to deal with. He doesn’t just sit on top and ride out the clock. Instead, he lands big, powerful ground punches that cause damage and open up his opponent’s defenses. Four of his wins come via finish, including two GNP finishes and two submissions (a kimura and a D’Arce). Don’t let this guy on top of you. It will be a long (or possibly short) night.
Strength of Schedule: Martin started off his career taking on inexperienced and/or low-level competition, but stepped up in competition relatively quickly. His only loss is to Bellator vet Leroy Johnson, but since that loss, Martin has posted five straight wins including victories over current UFC roster member Josh Parisian, current PFL participant Renan Ferreira and veteran Daniel James. That said, the wins over Ferreira and James came via DQ, which is a bit of a blemish, but if you watched those fights, Martin was competing well. He is ready to continue to step up in competition and has the type of experience that should make him sought after.
Needs Improvement
Striking Question Marks: While Martin has big power in his hands and can knock opponents out, there are some question marks. What happens if his wrestling does not carry him and he’s forced to have extended striking battles? Does he have the variety or intangibles to hold his own against a striker with good takedown defense? Power is definitely on his side, but we simply have not seen enough of Martin in pure striking battles to have the outright confidence that he can hang standing with the best.
Outlook
UFC Veteran: I think Martin will eventually make it into the UFC, especially considering he’s 27 years old and has a good resume already. His wrestling will definitely carry him in advantageous matchups. It’s just a matter of when he will make it to the UFC, as one would have thought given his LFA background and yearly openings on the Contender Series would have brought him to the company. He had a very tall task in front of him in Chris Barnett. This would have signified the toughest opponent Martin had faced to date. If Martin beat Barnett, he should have been offered a UFC contract outright. We now wait to see who he will compete with in the coming days.
MMA Intel 