Anthony Rocco Martin (born December 11, 1989) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competed in the

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...

and

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

divisions of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

Background

Born in

Palos Heights, Illinois Palos Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a southwest suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 12,068. Geography According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Palos Heights has a total area of , of ...

, Martin moved to

Worth, Illinois Worth is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 10,970. Geography Worth is located at (41.688827, -87.792659). According to the 2010 census, Worth has a total area of , ...

, before settling in Wisconsin during his junior high school years. After graduating high school, where he played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

, Martin attended college and briefly played football at North Dakota State University before dropping out. After dropping out Martin began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts.

Mixed martial arts career

Martin made his professional mixed martial arts debut on January 7, 2012, when he faced Bruce Johnson at Cage Fighting Xtreme 30. He won the fight via first round rear-naked choke. Following the quick win, he compiled a record of 8–0, including a notable win over UFC veteran

Phillipe Nover Phillipe J. Nover (born February 3, 1984), is a retired American mixed martial artist. He is best known for making it to the finals of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir. He is a former Ring of Combat lightweight champion. Early ...

at Dakota FC 14, before being signed by the

in late 2013.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In his official UFC debut, Martin faced fellow newcomer

Rashid Magomedov Rashid Magomedgadzhievich Magomedov (; born May 14, 1984) is a Russian mixed martial artist. He is a former amateur Light heavyweight and Middleweight boxer, and competed at the lightweight mixed martial artist in the Ultimate Fighting Champ ...

UFC 169 ''UFC 169: Barão vs. Faber 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held on February 1, 2014, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The event was released on DVD on May 6, 2014. The DVD was distributed by the label ''Anchor Bay Entertainment ...

on February 1, 2014. Though he had Magomedov in trouble early with a deep armbar, Magomedov rallied back and Martin lost the fight via unanimous decision. Martin then faced

Beneil Dariush Beneil Khobier Dariush (born May 6, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from ...

at UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. dos Anjos on August 23, 2014. Martin lost the fight via rear-naked choke in the second round. For his third fight with the promotion, he faced

Fabrício Camões Fabrício dos Santos Camões (; born December 23, 1978) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who formerly competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Camões's primary style in the cage is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Cam ...

in a catchweight bout (both fighters missed weight) at

UFC 179 ''UFC 179: Aldo vs. Mendes 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held on October 25, 2014, at Ginásio do Maracanãzinho in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background The event was headlined by a UFC Featherweight Championship, Featherweight Championship re ...

on October 25, 2014. He won the fight via first round kimura lock, getting his first UFC win in the process. Martin next faced Leonardo Santos on March 21, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 62, as a replacement for an injured

Matt Wiman Matt Wiman (born September 19, 1983) is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed as a lightweight. He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Wiman graduated from Broken Arrow High School in 2002. Mix ...

. He lost the fight via submission in the second round. Martin faced promotional newcomer Felipe Olivieri on January 30, 2016, at UFC on Fox 18. Martin earned a come from behind victory as he submitted Oilveiri in the third round. Martin was expected to face Michel Prazeres on July 23, 2016, at

UFC on Fox 20 ''UFC on Fox: Holm vs. Shevchenko'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 20'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 23, 2016, at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Background The event was headlined b ...

. However, Martin pulled out of the fight in early July citing a neck injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer J.C. Cottrell. Martin was expected to face

Erik Koch Erik Jon Koch (born October 4, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who last competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2007, he formerly competed for the WEC. Background K ...

on January 15, 2017, at

UFC Fight Night 103 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

. However, Koch pulled out of the fight on December 12 citing an injury and was replaced by Alex White. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Martin faced

Johnny Case Johnny Case (born June 28, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist and professional boxer who currently competes in the Lightweight division of RIZIN. A professional since 2007, he formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Pro ...

on June 25, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 112. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Martin faced Olivier Aubin-Mercier on September 16, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 116. He lost the back-and-forth fight via split decision. Martin faced

Keita Nakamura is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist and grappler currently competing in the Welterweight division of RIZIN. A professional competitor since 2003, he has formerly competed for the UFC, World Victory Road, Pancrase, Shooto, DREAM, ...

in a welterweight bout on April 21, 2018, at

UFC Fight Night 128 ''UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 128'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on April 21, 2018, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Background ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Martin faced

Ryan LaFlare Ryan LaFlare (born October 1, 1983) is an American retired mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the UFC's Welterweight division. Background LaFlare was born and raised in Lindenhurst, New York, attending Lindenhurst High School wher ...

on October 6, 2018, at

UFC 229 ''UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor ''was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) that was held on October 6, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United Stat ...

. He won the fight via knockout in the third round after dropping LaFlare with a head kick and following up with punches. This victory marked Martin's first professional victory by way of knockout. Martin faced Jake Matthews on December 2, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 142. He won the fight via an anaconda choke in round three. Martin faced

Sérgio Moraes Sérgio Moraes (born July 23, 1982) is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist who competed in the welterweight and middleweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as well as being a competitor on '' The Ultimate Fig ...

on March 9, 2019, at

UFC Fight Night 146 ''UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 146'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 4'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on March 9, 2019 at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Martin faced

Demian Maia Demian Augusto Maia Baptista (born 6 November 1977) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, submission grappler and 5th degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt. Maia competed in both the Welterweight and Middleweight divisio ...

on June 29, 2019, at UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. dos Santos. He lost the fight via majority decision. Martin faced

Ramazan Emeev Ramazan Dadaevich Emeev (; born May 20, 1987) is a Russian mixed martial artist. He is Combat Sambo World Champion who currently fights in the Welterweight division. He is a former M-1 Global middleweight champion and fought in the Ultimate Fig ...

on November 9, 2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 21. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Martin was scheduled to face David Zawada on April 25, 2020. However, on April 9 the promotion indicated that the pairing had been scrapped as a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. As the last fight of his prevailing contract, Martin faced

Neil Magny Aoutneil Jacques "Neil" Magny (born August 3, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2010, Magny made a name ...

on June 6, 2020, at

UFC 250 ''UFC 250: Nunes vs. Spencer'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 6, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. I ...

. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Martin and the UFC parted ways after the completion of his most recent contract allowing him to negotiate with other promotions.

Post UFC

Martin made his first appearance since leaving the UFC headlining against Tim Bazer at CES 68 on May 6, 2022. He won the bout via brabo choke in the second round.

Legal incidents

Martin was arrested on November 23, 2021, for one count each of battery and lewd/dissolute conduct in a public place in Las Vegas for allegedly urinating in a hallway at

Caesars Palace Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. Caesar ...

and punching a security officer in the throat after he was confronted. Martin was released later and is expected to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court on January 19, 2022

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 18–6 , Tim Bazer , Submission (brabo choke) , CES 68 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:05 ,

West Fargo, North Dakota West Fargo is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. It is, as of the 2020 census, the fifth most populous city in the state of North Dakota with a population of 38,626, and it is one of the state's fastest growing cities. The cit ...

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

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Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

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, Decision (majority) , UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

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, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 , Jake Matthews , Technical Submission (anaconda choke) , UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:19 ,

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 ,

, KO (head kick and punches) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 , Olivier Aubin-Mercier , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Branch , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

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, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Chiesa vs. Lee , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Alex White , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Penn , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Felipe Olivieri , Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Bader , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:02 ,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

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Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

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Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

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La Crescent, Minnesota La Crescent ( ) is a city in Houston and Winona counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 5,276 at the 2020 census. La Crescent is located in the northeast portion of Houston County; the northern edge of the city falls into ...

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Maplewood, Minnesota Maplewood is a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 42,088 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Maplewood is ten minutes' drive from downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, Saint Paul. ...

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St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Anthony Rocco 1989 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu People from Palos Heights, Illinois Martial artists from Cook County, Illinois Mixed martial artists from Illinois American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters