Lightweight, Zane Martin
Zane Martin is 20 years old and stands at 5’9″, representing Freestyle MMA. He started karate at four, competed in point-style karate until 14, and won a few state championships along the way. He also started BJJ at seven, earning a couple of national and Pan Pacific titles, before boxing from 12 to 16. He started MMA at 14 and is officially 6-0 as an amateur, with a couple of fights missing from Tapology.
Martin is a well-rounded fighter, but he’s particularly confident in his ground game and ability to get the fight there. His striking has also evolved from his karate background, blending different styles rather than sticking to a traditional karate approach. For a more in-depth read on Martin, our guy Hudson Gelfand here.
Martin gets a stern test in his pro debut against Jesse Ukich. Ukich is a submission grappler and another one Hudson wrote about in the amateur piece.
Bantamweight, Carlos Moreno
Carlos Moreno started wrestling at 16 at one of Puerto Rico’s top wrestling clubs, which had produced world medalists, an Olympic bronze medalist, and other international champions. He quickly took to freestyle wrestling, attending all 11 weekly practices with the goal of becoming an Olympic champion. He eventually won a junior national title in Puerto Rico at 65kg, but despite his success, he realized wrestling wasn’t the path he wanted to pursue. Watching the UFC, he became drawn to MMA’s freedom and the idea that you had to find a way to win.
Moreno began training boxing, wrestling, Muay Thai, and BJJ individually, often training from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. and taking a rest day only after ten straight days. With limited MMA gyms on the island, he focused on mastering each discipline’s fundamentals until he found his current gym, DutchstylePR, and coaches and training partners who shared his ambition to compete at the highest level. He has trained there for three years, training in Puerto Rico, where he proudly continues to live.
Moreno leaves an amateur career of 5-0 behind, including three finishes all by KO/TKO. He’s undersized at 5’4″ but makes up for it with explosiveness and big power. He has explosive takedowns, though I’m not sure about his ground game. On the feet, he’s both patient and aggressive. He times explosive bursts well. Moreno can slip punches and find moments, or just blitz in and find the chin. I do worry about his size, and starting his pro career at 27 is a bit late.
Moreno fights James Robinson (1-2). Although he has a negative record, he has more experience and trains out of a more notable gym at Clay Guida’s MMA Stop Fitness. I’m sure we’ll get some answers right away with this debut.
