Former UFC featherweight contender Dan Ige is dropping down to bantamweight and making his debut in the weight class against a top contender.
Ige takes on David Martinez in a bantamweight bout set for Noche UFC, which takes place on September 12 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
The UFC announced the bout on Saturday during the UFC Abu Dhabi card.
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Dan Ige Makes 135 lbs Debut
After spending nearly all of his UFC career at featherweight up until now, Ige is moving down to bantamweight as he tries to get a second life in his UFC career after having lost four of his last five bouts overall.
Ige recently completed a test cut down to 135 lbs, and it was successful, so he knew that he could make the weight and drop down to bantamweight safely.
Ige is known for being one of the most durable fighters in the UFC, having been knocked out just one time during his career, which was a TKO loss to Melquizael Costa in his last fight.
At bantamweight, it will be interesting to see if he is still as durable as he was when he was at featherweight, as typically fighters’ chins don’t hold up as well when they drop down in weight. But we’ll see how Ige’s chin looks now when he’s down at 135 lbs.
David Martinez Gets New Opponent
Martinez was originally set to fight Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC Abu Dhabi, but the fight was scratched, and both fighters were given new opponents for different cards.
Nurmagomedov will now take on Song Yadong in the main event of UFC Shanghai, while Martinez battles Ige in this bout.
Martinez has been a standout bantamweight since he first joined the UFC in 2025, going 3-0 in the world’s leading MMA promotion with wins over Marlon Vera, Rob Font, and Saimon Oliveira.
He is currently the No. 7-ranked bantamweight fighter in the Meta UFC Rankings.
Should Martinez get past Ige, look for him to fight someone ranked in the top five at 135 lbs in his next bout after losing out on the Nurmagomedov fight for UFC Abu Dhabi.
Dan Ige Makes Bantamweight Debut Against Top UFC Contender