Long-time UFC featherweight Dan Ige will drop down to bantamweight for his next fight against David Martinez at Noche UFC 4 in Arizona on September 12th.
The 34-year-old Ige has lost four of his last five fights up at 145lbs, suffering defeats to the likes of Diego Lopes, Lerone Murphy, Patricio Pitbull and most recently Melquizael Costa, who became the first fighter to ever TKO him.
So, with an overall record of 11-10 in the UFC’s featherweight division, Ige is now dropping down a division to start a new chapter in his career at bantamweight.
He won’t be getting an easy first fight in his new weight class however as he’ll be going up against the 27-year-old Martinez, who has gone 3-0 in the UFC so far to extend his career record to 14-1.
Martinez TKO’d Saiimon Oliveira in his UFC debut in March of last year and has since earned unanimous decision victories over Rob Font and Marlon Vera to mark himself out as a significant threat in the 135lb ranks.
Ige vs. Martinez joins a Noche UFC 4 event that doesn’t yet have a confirmed headliner, but will also feature Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Curtis Blaydes, Manon Fiorot vs. Alexa Grasso and Brandon Moreno vs. Joseph Morales.
