“Still Getting Unranked Opponents”: Massive Fight Announcement Leaves Bitter Taste in Mouth for UFC Fans

It appears that 2023 is all about fan service for the UFC. UFC Vegas 67 served as a stupendous opening event of the year. We have the UFC 283 around the corner, with Glover Teixeira and Jamahal Hill headlining the main card along with a number of heart-pounding contests. And the biggest announcement dropped in with the official announcement for Jon Jones‘ comeback. However, it seems the UFC is not stopping the trail of thrilling announcements as they recently announced yet another blockbuster fight for March.

On March 11 at UFC Vegas 71, Said Nurmagomedov and Jonathan Martinez are scheduled to square off in the octagon. Despite how thrilling this match is, UFC’s failure to give Nurmagomedov the credit he deserves has left the fans upset.

UFC community in denial of this “banger” fight

Said Nurmagomedov vs. Jonathan Martinez ticks all the right boxes to qualify as a barnburner. Both fighters hold incredible records of 17-2-0 and 17-4-0, respectively. Both of them are in their top form and having a great run in the UFC. And fans can certainly expect fireworks with this matchup, given the outstanding fighting prowess both of them possess. But the fans’ denial of this announcement is coming from the lack of recognition of the surging Dagestani fighter.

Check out how the fans reacted to this news and the reasoning they offer for it:

“Man just banger after banger announced tonight”

“Absolute banger but it’s crazy how Said 6-1 in the UFC and still getting unranked opponents”

“I wonder if Said and Umar will eventually fight each other”

“Jonathan Martinez might have had the best year of any unranked fighter in 2022. The guy is a killer and Said is a baller for taking this fight. That card is a 135 fans delight.”

“Said and Umar are going to have to beat 12 guys in a row to get one top 10 guy and even that might not be enough”

“Both probably paid 10K no win bonus”

“I don’t understand why people don’t like the lower weight classes they’ve got some of the most technical and exciting matchups around.”

Read more: Fans React as Said Nurmagomedov Has His “Never Bet Against a Nurmagomedov” Moment With Insane Ninja Choke at UFC Vegas 66

Having said that, the fans put forth a valid argument in the comment section owing to the fact that the 30-year-old Dagestani fighter indeed built an impressive resume in his over a decade-long MMA tenure.

Why Said Nurmagomedov deserves better?

Said Nurmagomedov hasn’t lost a bout since 2019 and is currently on a 4 match-winning streak. The Dagestani fighter secured an impressive second-round submission win in his last match-up against Saidyokub Kakhramonov. Moreover, in his entire MMA tenure of 17 bouts and 15 wins, Nurmagomedov has an 8 first-round victory under his credit.

The 30-year-old Dagestani proved in his matchup with Mark Striegl at UFC fight island 6 that he has the ability to grapple, wrestle, and still deliver some blazing-fast and heavy blows on the opponents. And even with such a strong resume, Nurmagomedov hasn’t been pitted against a ranked fighter. This slows down his trajectory exceptionally when compared to others.

Hence, it seems pretty reasonable as to why the fans have such a strong reaction to this announcement.

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