Mana Martinez had to deal with all kinds of last-minute adjustments and unexpected hurdles heading into his UFC debut last weekend.
After the date of his fight was changed, and eventually his opponent, Martinez also had to deal with the loss of his head coach and mentor Saul Soliz, who passed away after battling COVID-19 just 11 days before Martinez was to make his debut.
Martinez felt his coach’s absence during the fight at UFC on ESPN 30.
“I had him up against the cage and I was hitting him with a flurry and I just backed off,” Martinez told Pete Hoffman on the latest episode of The Fight Fan. “Had my coach been there, he would have given me the proper instructions and I would have listened and been able to put him away…it definitely felt like a piece was missing inside of me in there, and I know from here on out, it’ll remain that way. Not so much like it did this first fight, but I’ll have to make the adjustments…and I know he’ll still be watching me and looking down on me and be in my corner regardless.”
But Martinez overcame all of the adversity to beat Guido Cannetti by decision and make his first UFC bout a victorious one.
“I was able to get a contract earlier this year…and to finally get my hand raised in that octagon, and of course not having my coach there was very emotional,” Martinez said. “But I feel great. I feel very blessed. I’m excited to continue with my career, and I’m happy to get that first win. It was awesome.”
It wasn’t quite how Martinez imagined it, especially without his head coach, but it was still an unforgettable moment for the 25-year-old, after he briefly considered withdrawing from the fight.
“It still hasn’t quite hit me,” Martinez said. “It was very emotional. I had been working so long and hard for that moment.”
Listen to Martinez’s full interview on The Fight Fan below!
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