UFC on FX 8 'Fight of the Night' winner Lucas Martins to drop two weight classes

Brazilian knockout artist Lucas Martins (13-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will drop down not just one but two divisions for his next UFC appearance.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today learned from Martins’ manager, Wade Hampel, that the 24-year-old “Mineiro” will fight at bantamweight in his next UFC appearance.

“I requested the change this morning with Sean Shelby and Joe Silva, and they signed off on it,” Hampel said.

Martins weighed in at just 153 pounds for his lightweight bout with Jeremy Larson at UFC on FX 8, which took place in May in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil. The bout served as the evening’s very first contest, and Martins and Larson went back and forth in an entertaining contest before the Brazilian landed a pinpoint straight to the chin that ended the fight 13 seconds into the final round.

The win earned Martins a $50,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus, and he was the leading candidate to take home the card’s “Knockout of the Night” bonus, as well, before Vitor Belfort scored a spinning heel kick finish of Luke Rockhold in the evening’s main event.

Following the win, Martins was asked if he was considering a potential move in divisions, which seemed logical considering he has previous experience at 145 pounds. He was non-committal at the time on when he would make the switch, but now it seems he’ll move down all the way to 135 pounds.

“I’m going to sit down with my team and see what’s best for me, but I do intend to cut weight,” Martins said at the UFC on FX 8 post-event press conference. “I’m here to fight. Regardless of the weight class, I’m here to put on a show.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.