A heavyweight clash between Efe Ajagba and Charles Martin is set to headline Zuffa Boxing’s February 14 event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Ajagba (20-1-1, 14 KOs), a 2016 Olympian representing Nigeria, enters the fight following a turbulent stretch in his career. He previously declined to proceed with an ordered IBF title eliminator rematch against Frank Sanchez due to dissatisfaction with the purse, a decision that ultimately ended his relationship with Top Rank. The Ajagba–Martin matchup revives a bout once considered for a November 2023 ESPN+ main event before Ajagba instead stopped Joseph Goodall in four rounds.
Martin (30-4-1, 27 KOs), now 39, brings former world champion pedigree to the matchup. He briefly held the IBF heavyweight title in 2016 before losing it to Anthony Joshua in his first defense. Since then, Martin has fought sparingly but has shared the ring with contenders such as Jared Anderson, Adam Kownacki and Luis Ortiz, while also scoring notable wins including a knockout of Gerald Washington.
Fight card:
▪️Efe Ajagba vs. Charles Martin, 10 rounds, heavyweight ▪️Umar Dzambekov vs. Ahmed Elbiali, 10 rounds, light heavyweight ▪️Abel Mejia vs. Jaybrio Pe Benito, 8 rounds, lightweight
Prelims:
▪️Leonardo Ruiz vs. Casey James Streeter, 6 rounds, middleweight ▪️Antonio Woods vs. Mark Beuke, 6 rounds, middleweight ▪️Oswaldo Molina vs. Joshua Clark, 6 rounds, lightweight ▪️Emiliano Alvarado vs. Devin Gantt, 6 rounds, featherweight ▪️Dariial Kuchmenov vs. Jorge Arturo Lagunas Valencia, 6 rounds, lightweight
