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UFC Vegas 15 is a must win for Martin Day. He takes on Anderson dos Santos in a bantamweight bout and having dropped two straight, Day knows it’s time to buckle down and get the job done they way he always has. Day is ready to get out to Vegas and get some work in.
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“I’ll be flying out on November 23rd. It’s been a while since I fought in Vegas since the Contender Series so I’m excited to be back in action over there.”
The fight with dos Santos is a do-or-die type fight for Martin Day. With two back to back losses, the bantamweight Contender Series veteran looks to get back in the win column. He knows how big of a challenge dos Santos is, however, and is preparing to go to war.
“I got to go in there and make a statement. I’ve got to be smart in there. It’s definitely a must-win fight. Everyone in the UFC is so good. Everyone in there is the best of the best. Each guy presents his own skills and each thing that he’s good at and the dangers that they present. We’re training smart, training hard and getting ready for this guy.”
In his last fight, Day was doing well and had some decent exchanges with Davey Grant. But, it was not meant to be. He was finished in the third. Martin Day feels like he’s still growing as a fighter and the experience at UFC 251 was a growing one, perhaps the biggest of his career.
“I feel like I could have been a little lighter on my feet. I felt like I stayed in the pocket a little too much and got a little bit carried away just kind of banging. It did feel good, though. I was landing shots and went into that third round thinking that maybe I could get a finish. I felt my opponent fading a little bit and I wanted to put it on him. I just sat in the pocket a little too long and he caught me with that good shot. It can happen to anybody. We definitely learned from that experience and I will be avoiding that mistake.”
That learning experience has led to what we will see of Martin Day at UFC Vegas 15. “I know that I’m bringing the best version of myself into this fight that’s ever been a cage yet. So I’m excited to showcase that and I’m looking forward to it.”
Despite all that, Day knows what he’s in for. The Spartan knows that Anderson dos Santos is a very tough fighter and with all his experience, he can be tricky. But, the way dos Santos fights, Day believes it will play right into his style of fighting.
“He’s got a ton of experience, he’s got twice the amount of fights that I have. He’s a veteran of the sport, he’s been around for a while. Watching his fights, he comes forward and swings. He brings exciting fights when he’s in there, you can tell that he’s a gamer. I’m looking forward to trading with him. I feel like that falls into my style and it will be an exciting fight.”
Hawaii and Martin Day
Some of the best fighters in the world have come from Hawaii. From Max Holloway to Ray Cooper III and the great BJ Penn, Hawaii puts out a lot of talent in the fight world. Training in Hawaii, however, hasn’t been easy, as we read in our interview with Tyson Nam. Hawaii has had plenty of COVID-19 restrictions. Regardless, Day believes this has worked into his favor and he is getting some of the most specialized training to his skills.
“As far as I know, Hawaii is one of the most strict states when it comes to COVID. At first we couldn’t do much. But recently, they opened up gyms again. All the while, we’ve been getting it in. We’ve been figuring out how to get it done. If you want something bad enough, you’re going to figure out a way to do it. We keep the groups small, keeping yourself in a small group of guys, no huge practices or anything like that. Little private camp kind of thing. It’s centered around me and bringing in guys that I need, the bodies that I need, the skillsets that I need, for my opponent. It’s working out real good, I like it a lot.”
Surfing is synonymous with Hawaii. I asked Martin Day about who does he think would be the worst to teach surfing to, he didn’t pick a specific name, but he did say where they would come from.
“Probably somebody from a snowy place with no water, or somebody from the middle of the US where they’re landlocked,” Day said with a laugh. “People on the coast are used to the water and the ocean.” When asked about teaching Derrick Lewis how to surf, Martin Day laughed and said, “I would love to teach him how to surf. He would probably be cracking jokes the whole time too!”
The Retiring of a GOAT
Khabib Nurmagomedov shocked the world at UFC 254. While he fought a phenomenal fight, it was the post-fight speech that caught everyone off guard. Khabib had retired. When reflecting on the fight and retirement as a whole, Martin Day has nothing but great things to say about how Khabib fought.
“I thought he was just kind of emotional when he retired and he would come back later. But, I guess he’s staying retired for now. People asking me who I thought was going to win that fight, and I cannot go against Khabib who is just so dominant. I didn’t think he was going to win it that early in the fight. He really took care of business pretty quick. Especially against such a good striker/wrestler/fighter Gaethje is. He just showed again why he’s the man.”
Martin Day steps into the Octagon to fight for his job and prove he belongs in the UFC on November 28th.
Be sure to follow Martin Day on Instagram and Twitter to follow his fight week with Anderson dos Santos at UFC Vegas 15.
