Overview
- The UFC confirmed on Sunday that Dan Ige will make his bantamweight debut against David Martinez at Noche UFC on Sept. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.
- Ige is moving down after losing four of his last five fights and suffering the first stoppage defeat of his career in February 2026, a loss that prompted the change.
- Martinez enters the bout as the No. 7-ranked bantamweight and is 3-0 in the UFC with wins over Marlon Vera, Rob Font, and Saimon Oliveira.
- Ige completed a reported test cut to 135 pounds before the announcement, a step that raises the central question of whether his chin and cardio will translate to the lower weight class.
- The matchup is likely to affect 135-pound matchmaking and rankings movement and joins other new Noche UFC additions such as Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Muslim Salikhov on the Sept. 12 card.