Veteran lightweight and welterweight Anthony Rocco Martin is now a free agent after parting ways with the UFC.
Martin’s contract expired after his UFC 250 loss to Neil Magny last June, and according to MMA Junkie, the promotion and Martin agreed to go their separate ways.
“I am excited for what the future holds,” he wrote in a prepared statement. “I’m ranked 22 on Tapology. I feel like I am entering my prime and can’t wait for a new home. I want to find a place that I can compete to be a world champion and push to be the best in the world.”
Martin (17-6) debuted in the UFC way back in 2014 as a lightweight, losing consecutive fights to Rashid Magomedov and Beneil Dariush. A rocky 1-3 start gave way to a three-fight winning streak over Felipe Oliveiri, Alex White, and Johnny Case.
After a split decision loss to Olivier Aubin-Mercier, Martin moved up to welterweight in 2018 and won four straight, including a KO of Keita Nakamura and a submission versus prospect Jake Matthews. His winning run came to an end against Demian Maia by majority decision, Martin’s final UFC victory was a decision over Ramazan Emeev prior to getting outworked by Magny. He was later hospitalized with an infection following knee surgery.
The 31-year-old has never competed for any other major organization other than the UFC, but now that he’s no longer under contract has has plenty of options to explore after going 9-6 inside the Octagon.
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