Ajagba, 20-1-1 with 14 knockouts, believes he did enough against Martin Bakole last May. The scorecards read majority draw. The heavyweight contender traffic hasn’t slowed down for him.
“Everybody knows that I won my last fight,” Ajagba told UFC.com. “But we’re going forward to this fight, and all I can think about is sticking to my game plan and things like that.”
He tried to handle Bakole through distance control and footwork, working behind the jab and leaving the bigger man on the reset. The early rounds remained tight. The gas tank faded, Bakole cut the ring, and the judges saw enough to tie it up.
“My game plan was perfect,” Ajagba said. “All we did in that fight was move around because the guy likes to fight, he likes to punch.”
Heavyweight rounds lean on effective aggression and clean punching, not backward steps. Extended retreats, even behind a disciplined sting, tend to reduce the scores.
Charles Martin, a former belt holder with 35 professional fights under his belt, has not fought since 2024. He knows how to survive, how to buy time, how to close when pressure builds. He also knows what the top of the division feels like.
Ajagba sees vulnerability.
“He is not a tough opponent, but he is a former champion,” Ajagba said. “When he steps into the ring with me, it’s going to be another defeat for him. That’s it.”
The key is punch selection and variation. Start with the stitch and invest in the body early. Heavyweights moving in straight lines and repeating the same look are 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 it off.”
If Ajagba stays behind for a long time and lets Martin put his feet, it will be a long night. If he resets his feet after each combination and works the body, the stoppage opens up.
Sunday is not about highlights. It’s about regaining forward motion in a packed heavyweight circuit.
Expect measured pressure early. If Martin’s legs fade by the middle rounds, Ajagba’s right hand will start to land cleanly.
Event Information:
Date: Sunday 15 February
Start time: 19:00 local PT / 22:00 ET / 03:00 UK
Streaming Platform: Zuffa Boxing
Location: Meta APEX, Las Vegas
Main Event: Efe Ajagba vs. Charles Martin
How to watch: Stream via Paramount+
