Undefeated Jesse Martinelli ready to turn pro with win at Shamrock FC 327

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Undefeated Jesse Martinelli ready to turn pro with win at Shamrock FC 327

Since making his amateur MMA debut in July of 2018, flyweight Jesse Martinelli has done just about everything right in his fights.

In five amateur bouts, Martinelli has finished three of his opponents and had strong performances in his two unanimous decision wins. Not bad for a fighter still growing into the sport with limited experience.

“I’ve had a lot of learning in a short amount of time,” Martinelli told MMAWeekly.com. “I started just over a year ago. I’ve seen myself evolve. It’s fun to continue to evolve. There’s so much different stuff you can learn with so many different aspects, so I enjoy it.

“I was dominant in all of them, but each time I feel like there’s something I can pull from that I can critique and take it back to the room and work on to get back to where I’m not making those mistakes. I’ve come out on top, but each fight I come away with something that I can critique myself on; good and bad; both ways. The results are good, but I’m new and still learning.”

Being able to take the good and bad from his fights is only one part of Martinelli’s strategy for growth; the other is being able to scrap the way he does something if he finds a different approach that works better.

“I enjoy being able to try something out and see if it works for me; and I’m not a hard-headed person. I’m not resistant to change,” said Martinelli. “I think that helps me in my learning.”

On Jan. 11 in St. Louis, Mo., Martinelli (5-0) goes after his first title when he faces John Beckett (4-0) in a 125-pound amateur championship main card bout at Shamrock FC 327.


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“We’re both undefeated, both decent fighters in the region, and I’m looking to fight the top fighters at 125 pounds,” Martinelli said of facing Beckett. “I’ve got to do what I’ve been doing; going in there and controlling the rounds from start to finish. I plan on continuing that with this fight.”

Heralded as one of Shamrock FC’s top up and coming prospects, Martinelli’s move to the pro ranks could happen sooner than later, but for him, taking his time before making the jump is the most prudent way to look at what’s ahead in 2020.

“I don’t want to jump up too fast, but at the same time I feel I’m one of the top fighters in the area, so I’m looking to fight the next top fighter,” said Martinelli. “In 2020, the amateurs are cleared out, we’ll move up, but I take it one fight at a time.”

Undefeated Jesse Martinelli ready to turn pro with win at Shamrock FC 327