Anthony Rocco Martin: 'If I Can't Beat Demian Maia, I Can't Face Top Wrestlers in the Sport'

Anthony Rocco Martin got off to a shaky start with his Ultimate Fighting Championship career. Joining the league in 2014, Martin went 1-3 in his first four UFC fights, earning his first two losses back-to-back, getting a win, then losing again all before the summer of 2015.

Since last year, the Boston native has gone 4-0 and will now face his toughest challenge in perennial top contender Demian Maia. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace has almost 40 professional mixed martial arts bouts to his name, and before his February win over Lyman Good, had lost three in a row (albeit to a murderer's row of opponents: Tyron Woodley, Colby Covington, Kamaru Usman).

Martin, 29, understands what's at stake for his career with such a significant matchup. Not only because Maia is still a big name in the welterweight division, but also because many of the top fighters at 170 implement a grapple-heavy strategy.

"This is the coming out party," Martin said. "This is the make or break for me. This is the fight that, you know, I'm either on the real title contention path or, you know, I'm on my way out. I truly believe that. If I can't beat Maia, I can't face those top wrestlers in the sport. If I can't stop Maia's takedowns, I don't see how I could stop the other guys' takedowns."

UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. dos Santos kicks off at 7 p.m. ET and will air live on ESPN from the Target Center in Minneapolis.