Jonathan Martinez still is scratching his head.
At UFC 247 on Saturday, Martinez (11-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) battled Andre Ewell on the preliminary card. After the final bell rang, all signs pointed toward a fairly clear win in Martinez’s favor – at least in the eyes of the majority of viewers.
According to MMAdecisions.com, more than 80 percent of fans thought Martinez was the winner – including UFC commentator Joe Rogan. However, two of the three judges didn’t see it that way.
Martinez lost a split decision, which left many, including UFC commentator Joe Rogan, astounded. One judge, Joe Soliz, even scored it 30-27 in favor of Ewell (16-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC).
Less than 48 hours later, Martinez spoke to MMA Junkie about the surprising decision. The bantamweight fighter still doesn’t understand how his hand wasn’t raised after the fight.
“I thought I won,” Martinez said. “I was excited. Even Joe went up to me before the decision like, ‘You’re a badass fighter. This was pretty good, and I can’t wait to (interview you).’ That’s what he told me. After that, when I heard it, I was like, ‘Damn.’
“… It still kind of hurts. I thought I had the fight. I don’t understand how I can go in there confident knowing if I win a decision, I still have to wait for the judges to (confirm).”
Since the fight, Martinez has watched the replay a handful of times. With each watch, Martinez said he’s gotten more and more confident the judges screwed up.
The loss hurts his record. But a defeat means more than just a higher number in the loss column.
“I leave home for eight or nine weeks,” Martinez said. “I live in Texas and I go train in Colorado. For that to happen to me, I’ve got kids to feed. You know what I mean? I work hard for this. My training partners and my coaches work so hard. For (the judges) to do that, that really sucked.”
Martinez will be appealing his loss to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, his manager Jason House confirmed to MMA Junkie (first reported by TheScore). The team hopes to see more accountability from the state’s governing body by awarding Martinez a victory or making the bout a no contest.
“We plan on filing an appeal this week on behalf of Jonathan Martinez,” House told MMA Junkie. “A large part of this appeal will focus on the judging done by Joe Soliz, who scored the bout 30-27 for Ewell. Mr. Soliz consistently demonstrated his incompetence and inability to score a mixed martial arts bout properly throughout the night. It is our goal to get the decision overturned and ensure that Mr. Soliz never judges one of our client’s fights again.”
Martinez said at worst, he can hope for a no contest.
“If they can’t give me the win, at least call it a no contest,” Martinez said. “I don’t really talk a lot, even though I’m mad, but if I were to have lost, I would gone back to the drawing board. I didn’t feel like I lost, though. I did everything.
“My debut fight (in the UFC), I can admit I lost. I was nervous. This fight, I felt really comfortable. There was nothing wrong with me. For them to do that – how can I go in there thinking I’m going to win a decision?”
UFC 247 marked the final fight on Martinez’s contract. Moments after walking into the locker room however, Martinez said he was informed the promotion will be offering him a new deal in the coming days.
So what’s next? Martinez is healthy, but said he has no interest in fighting Ewell again.
“A rematch is for when someone beats me,” Martinez said. “The guy didn’t beat me. I won that fight and just want to make it right. Make it a no contest, give me a win, or whatever. Let’s move forward from here.”
UFC 247 took place Saturday at Toyota Center in Houston. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Jonathan Martinez discouraged by controversial UFC 247 decision: 'I've got kids to feed'
