UFC Fight Night 45 results: Lucas Martins blasts Alex White in third round

ATLANTIC CITY – Fighting or the first time on U.S. soil, Brazilian Lucas Martins (15-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) picked up his third straight UFC win by stopping the game newcomer Alex White (10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC).

After dominating early exchanges, Martins fought through White’s counter-charge to land a fight-ending right hand in the third and final frame.

The featherweight bout was part of today’s UFC Fight Night 45 main card at Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following a single prelim on UFC Fight Pass.

Martins returned to 145 pounds after struggling to make the bantamweight limit in a previous outing against Junior Hernandez, which nonetheless ended in a first-round submission victory.

The added weight seemed to invigorate the Brazilian as he batted away the aggressive southpaw White with left hooks and straight rights. White was game to exchange and took several heavy shots, but his upright stance left him exposed to counters.

Despite a strong opening round, Martins lost steam in the second and allowed White to be first in striking exchanges. But in the third, he landed a straight right hand that short-circuited White, who fell to the canvas after his body caught up with his brain. A few follow-up punches were academic.

The fight’s official end came at the 2:08 mark of the final frame.

Martins improves to 3-1 in the UFC with his sole setback a first-round stoppage loss to Edson Barboza. White, meanwhile, suffers his first professional defeat.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 45 results include:

For more on UFC Fight Night 45, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(John Morgan contributed to this report on site in Atlantic City)