Ajagba, 20-1-1 with 14 knockouts, believes he did enough against Martin Bakole last May. The scorecards read majority draw. The contender traffic at heavyweight did not slow down for him.
“Everybody knows that I won my last fight,” Ajagba told UFC.com. “But we move forward to this fight, and I all can think of is sticking to my gameplan and stuff like that.”
He tried to handle Bakole through range control and footwork, working behind the jab and keeping the bigger man resetting. The early rounds stayed tight. The gas tank faded late, Bakole cut the ring, and the judges saw enough to score it even.
“My gameplan was perfect,” Ajagba said. “Everything we did in that fight was moving around, because the guy loves to fight, he loves to punch.”
Heavyweight rounds lean on effective aggression and clean punching, not backward steps. Extended retreats, even behind a disciplined jab, tend to narrow the scores.
Charles Martin, a former belt holder with 35 professional fights behind him, has not fought since 2024. He knows how to survive, how to buy time, how to clinch when pressure builds. He also knows what the top of the division feels like.
Ajagba sees vulnerability.
“He’s not a tough opponent, but he’s a former champion,” Ajagba said. “When he steps into the ring with me, it’s gonna be another defeat for him. That’s it.”
The key is punch selection and variation. Start with the jab and invest to the body early. Heavyweights who move in straight lines and repeat the same look get timed and clipped.
“Start with the jab to see his reaction, to see his weakness,” Ajagba said. “When you see the weakness, that’s when you’re going to finish them off.”
If Ajagba stands tall behind the jab and lets Martin set his feet, it becomes a long night. If he resets his feet after every combination and works the body, the stoppage opens.
Sunday is not about highlights. It is about getting forward movement back in a packed heavyweight lane.
Expect measured pressure early. If Martin’s legs fade by the middle rounds, Ajagba’s right hand will start landing clean.
Event Info:
Date: Sunday, February 15
Start time: 7 p.m. local PT / 10 p.m. ET / 3 a.m. UK
Streaming platform: Zuffa Boxing
Venue: Meta APEX, Las Vegas
Main event: Efe Ajagba vs. Charles Martin
How to watch: Stream via Paramount+
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