Victor Martinez weighed in at 158 pounds, two pounds over the lightweight limit, ahead of his scheduled fight against Rong Zhu. The bout is set to serve as the main event on Thursday's Road to UFC card. Martinez's weight miss puts the contest in jeopardy ahead of the scheduled matchup.
Victor Martinez missed weight by two pounds ahead of his Road to UFC main event against Rong Zhu, casting doubt over whether the lightweight contest will proceed as scheduled on Thursday.
Martinez stepped on the scale at 158 pounds, two pounds above the 156-pound lightweight limit. The 34-year-old American, who trains out of Fortis MMA, carries a professional record of 13-6 and operates under the nickname "The Brick." Standing five-foot-eight with a 70-inch reach, Martinez fights out of an orthodox stance and has built a reputation as an active striker, landing 7.94 significant strikes per minute at a 51 percent accuracy rate. His takedown output is modest at 0.7 per 15 minutes, and he has recorded no submission attempts, marking him as a stand-and-bang competitor.
Information on his opponent, Rong Zhu, was not available in verified records at the time of this report.
Why it matters
- A two-pound miss puts the scheduled main event in jeopardy, which could affect the entire card's structure.
- Martinez's failure to make the 156-pound lightweight limit may result in a financial penalty or, in a worst case, cancellation of the bout.
- Should the fight proceed at a catchweight, the result would likely be ineligible to count toward official lightweight rankings progression for Zhu.
