UFC 309: Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee: Live round-by-round updates

The UFC 309 Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee round-by-round updates are here. The two men lock horns in a bantamweight bout as the last fight of the preliminary card. The event itself starts at 6:00 PM E.T. (Eastern Time) / 3:00 PM P.T. (Pacific Time).

However, the fight between Martinez and McGhee is estimated to start at roughly 8:00 PM E.T. / 5:00 PM P.T. The matchup is expected to be a barnburner in the division, with Martinez being an exciting striker with underrated punching power. McGhee is similar, possessing devastating striking with true finishing ability.

Martinez was previously on a six-fight win streak, but his purple patch was halted by the great José Aldo, who schooled him over three rounds, leaving him with a 19-5 record. McGhee, however, is different. At 9-1, he is borderline undefeated, and is currently on a five-fight win streak.

He has never gone to decision, having knocked out eight of his foes and submitted one. For this reason, McGhee is regarded as a favorite, with DraftKings Sportsbook listing him at -130, while Martinez is a +110 underdog.

Follow Sportskeeda for play-by-play analysis and live scoring of the bantamweight clash.

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UFC 309: Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee

Round 1: Martinez applying pressure, and McGhee lands a low kick followed by a nice body kick. Jab for McGhee, who follows up with a front kick. Martinez finally fires back with something, landing a low kick of his own. Body kick for Martinez. McGhee starts stringing combinations together, but Martinez defends well.

Hard low kick from McGhee. Another low kick from McGhee, who follows up with a right hand. Martinez eats a body jab. He needs to get something going, it's all McGhee so far, who blasts his leg with another low kick. It seems like Martinez is wary of McGhee's power, as he's applying pressure but doing little else.

A body kick and combinations from McGhee, who is looking for an opening. Big low kick from Martinez, but he eats a one-two from McGhee. He goes back to the low kick, but McGhee explodes with a combination. None of his combinations are landing clean, but McGhee's activity is winning him the round.

Low kick from Martinez, which McGhee answers with a stiff jab that got Martinez's attention. 10-9 McGhee

Round 2: McGhee on the front foot now, throwing a high kick that off-balances him and he slips. He springs back to his feet and Martinez looks to pressure him, but McGhee blasts his body with a front kick. A big low kick from Martinez spins McGhee out of his stance. Martinez with a right hand.

McGhee unleashes a combination but he's hitting nothing but gloves. He does sting an advancing Martinez with a check hook though. Martinez eats a jab and tries to return fire but just isn't able to pull the trigger. McGhee lands a nice sidekick to the body. Martinez spins for a backfist or elbow but misses.

McGhee with a quick combination and Martinez answers him with a low kick. A front kick to the body lands for Martinez, but McGhee has more volume with the occasional combination. Another front kick to the body lands for Martinez, who lunges in with a good left hand.

Martinez stings him again, landing a sneaky step-in elbow and low kick. McGhee is slowing down. Low kick from McGhee, who eats a much heavier one from Martinez. 10-9 McGhee

Round 3: Immediate pressure from Martinez, who still isn't doing much to impose himself. McGhee lands with a front kick and low kick, but Martinez answers him in kind. McGhee with a nice combination, landing to the body. Good jab from Martinez, who follows up with a big low kick that gets a big reaction from McGhee.

McGhee is limping badly and Martinez lands another low kick. McGhee lunges forward with a combination but hits nothing but air. They clinch and Martinez has him pinned against the fence. It's a bizarre decision from Martinez given that McGhee seems a few low kicks away from a TKO loss.

They break and Martinez lands another low kick, getting another massive reaction. More low kicks and McGhee is literally jumping out of range to avoid the low kick. Martinez seems to have realized that McGhee's leg is compromised, throwing a heavy low kick that misses, almost spinning himself around.

They trade low kicks and Martinez lands a good right hand when McGhee's kicking leg was airborne. Another low kick from Martinez, but he fails to get the finish when he really could have. 10-9 Martinez

Official Decision: Marcus McGhee def. Jonathan Martinez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)