5 under the radar names to look out for at UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori
UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori is very much a return to form for the UFC, having had two slightly underwhelming cards over the past few weeks. The main event has two former title challengers competing for a chance to re-establish themselves into middleweight contendership.
The two fighters in question are Marvin Vettori and Paulo Costa, hard-hitting strikers who are rarely willing to take a single step back. Costa has admittedly announced that he can't make the 186-pound limit, which may have some impact on how the fight plays out. Either way, it should still be a violent war for as long as it lasts.
The main event will be preceded by an exciting lightweight co-main event between rising prospect Grant Dawson and MMA veteran Ricky Glenn. Both men are coming off big KO victories and will be looking for yet another showcase stoppage.
However, whilst these two fights are very much the marquee matchups of the card, there are also a number of hidden gems placed throughout the rest of the event.
On the following list, we break down five under the radar fighters competing at UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori. Honorable mentions go to Jeff Molina and Tabatha Ricci.
#5. Jonathan 'The Dragon' Martinez - UFC bantamweight
Opening up the early prelims is a rising UFC bantamweight prospect. Jonathan Martinez currently holds a record of 13-4 and already has four UFC wins under his resume. Amongst these wins is a brutal flying knee KO against UFC veteran Frankie Saenz.
He takes on undefeated debutant Zviad Lazishvili, who is currently 12-0. Martinez was initially scheduled to face off against Aaron Phillips, but the fight was scrapped on short notice after Phillips fell ill.
Lazishvili is a prospect in his own right. However, stepping in with little notice against a fighter with the quality possessed by Martinez, seems like it will be too tough a challenge.
Martinez is coming off a loss to Davey Grant and will be looking to regain the hype he amassed after picking up consecutive victories over Saenz and Thomas Almedia.