Bellator season ten featherweight tournament semifinalist Will Martinez has been given permission to take a fight outside of the promotion and he will meet Ian Rammel at Matrix Fights 9.
The fight booking was announced by Matrix Fights promoter Sam Caplan on Wednesday.
Matrix Fights 9 will come from the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 5th and will be headlined by a catchweight bout as Jesus Martinez meets Levon Maynard.
“First, we wanted to thank Scott Coker, Rich Chou, Zach Light and the entire team at Bellator for giving Matrix Fights permission to promote Will on this show,” said Matrix Fights promoter Sam Caplan. “Will has his own school in Philadelphia and for the past year has fought all over the country on Spike TV. Matrix wanted to schedule a homecoming fight for him so that his fans, friends, students and family could see him fight in person since it’s been a while since he’s fought locally. At Matrix, we pride ourselves on promoting and hosting events instead of holding just random shows. Adding an active member of the Bellator roster to the card definitely creates a special event-like feel.”
Martinez (9-3-1) has gone 5-1 in Bellator and this will be his second fight in Matrix Fights as he defeated Mervin Rodriguez at Matrix Fights 8 in 2013. Prior to losing to Desmond Green in the season ten tournament semifinal, he had won eight in a row and five of those wins came by submission.
“It will be an honor to fight on the December 5 Matrix card in front of my hometown crowd,” Martinez said. “I’m so excited to show my fans and students how much I’ve improved since my last fight. Ian Rammel is a really tough opponent who has fought some high-level fighters in his career at a few different weight classes. I can’t wait to test myself at 155 lbs., where I started my career. I feel stronger and better than ever and we’re coming to fight.”
Rammel (7-6) has won two of his last three fights and is coming off a third round submission at US Fight Series III against Andrew Law. Prior to the victory against Law, he faced Bubba Jenkins at Bellator 109 and was defeated in the third round by TKO.
“Obviously no one wants to go to someone’s backyard for a fight but my goals the same and my focus is unwavering,” the 13-fight veteran answered succinctly when asked for his thoughts on the matchup.
Tickets for Matrix Fights 9 on December 5th at the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory are currently on-sale at www.MatrixFights.com. The promotion’s online box office is being handled through CageTix.com with local fighters set to begin selling tickets on a consignment basis within the next week. Ticket prices start at $30 for general admission seating with floor seats ranging from $45-125 and VIP seating available at $250 per seat.
The current Matrix Fights 9: Martinez vs. Maynard fight card is below.
Jesus Martinez (9-5) vs. LeVon Maynard (12-10)
Will Martinez (9-3-1) vs. Ian Rammel (7-6)
Brylan Van Artsdalen (8-11) vs. Steve McCabe (6-16)
Ryan Cafaro (0-1) vs. Matt Kakareka (0-0)
Jo Meunier (2-0) vs. Cheron Gregory (0-1)