UFC Vet Terry Martin Gunning For Title at MFC 29

Terry Martin and Marvin Eastman at UFC 81

Former UFC fighter Terry Martin is out to prove that he’s not to be underestimated.

After struggling with consistency since he left the company in 2008, Martin had a stellar year in 2010, posting three consecutive wins.

“I went down to 170 (pounds) and have been working a lot on my weaknesses,” Martin said about his recent success.

“I’ve never worked as hard as I do now. My coaches and I sat down and did some fine-tuning of everything. I’m motivated, got my confidence back, and I can’t wait to fight.”

Martin explains that the move down in weight wasn’t as difficult as it may seem, and in fact, welterweight is where he should have been competing all this time.

“Actually, I wrestled in high school and college at 170 pounds, so it wasn’t anything new,” he told MMAWeekly.com.

“I should have done this a long time ago. I’m only five-foot-seven (even though) a lot of people actually think I’m taller. There’s no reason why I should have been fighting at those (heavier) weight classes before.”

Martin’s recent upturn hasn’t gone unnoticed, as he’s been rewarded with a 170-pound title shot against Douglas Lima at MFC 29 on HDNet Friday night.

“I feel like it’s a bad match-up for him,” stated Martin. “He told everybody that he’s going to come out there and bang with me, and I would like to see that.

“If he wants to do that, hey, let’s go. If he plans on standing there and banging with me, I’m going to break his jaw. I’m going to hurt this dude; I’m going to hurt him bad.”

Martin’s outlook for the fight is the same as his wishes for the remainder of 2011.

“I want to get back on my knockout streak,” he said. “That’s my goal. I want to bring everybody the Terry Martin they’re used to. Not this unanimous decision stuff. I want to go out and finish this guy.”

Having been willing to jump at a majority of opportunities that came his way, Martin is being more cautious now in the way he handles his career in hopes of staying on the right path.

“We’re taking everything nice and slowly,” he said. “We’re taking it one fight at a time and not rushing into things like at first. Not taking fights on short notice, we’re taking things when we’re ready.”

Having made moves to get himself on track, Martin may have rejuvenated his career and could achieve greater things than he has before.

“I’d like to thank God and everyone for their support,” he concluded. “I’ll be in Canada fighting for the title, so come out to the fights on Friday night because it’s going to be exciting. If you can’t make it, then watch it live on HDNet.”