Martin is 39, has fought only one round in the past 2½ years and is nearly 10 years removed from owning the IBF heavyweight title. The powerful southpaw suspects Ajagba is therefore overconfident and can’t wait to prove to the huge Nigerian contender that he made a calamitous matchmaking mistake in their Zuffa Boxing main event at Meta APEX, UFC’s performance center in Las Vegas.

“I know he a big, strong dude,” Martin told The Ring. “Imma work my way around him, break him down and get him up outta there. That’s what I do. That’s what I’m coming to do.”

Facing Ajagba (20-1-1, 14 KOs) is just the type of opportunity Martin has sought since he buzzed Jared Anderson twice in a 10-round match Martin lost by unanimous decision in July 2023. Anderson was undefeated when they fought and Martin (30-4-1, 27 KOs) sensed other heavyweights were reluctant to fight him after he faced Anderson because they viewed him as high-risk, low-reward work.

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Martin prepared accordingly for a chance he knows he can’t waste at his advanced age.

“I want the big fights,” Martin said. “[Ajagba is] in my way. That’s his fault, that’s his mistake. [Beating Ajagba is gonna] get me them big fights. I’m trying to make it to Saudi and all that stuff. I wanna be on the bigger cards, back in the mix.”

The St. Louis native assured Ajagba he’ll encounter a much fitter fighter than he faced in his last bout – a 10-round majority draw with hard-hitting Congolese contender Martin Bakole. Ajagba told The Ring that even Bakole’s handlers admitted to him they thought he beat Bakole (21-2-1, 16 KOs), but judges Pablo Gonzalez and Bob Williams scored their fight even, 95-95 apiece, on the Canelo Alvarez-William Scull undercard May 3 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“That was an out-of-shape Bakole,” Martin said. “I heard [Bakole] was in the best shape when he fought Jared [Anderson]. So, I mean, he wasn’t in shape for [the Ajagba fight]. … It looked like if [Bakole] was in shape he woulda beat him. But that’s the big thing – you gotta be in shape.”

Bakole knocked out Anderson (18-1, 15 KOs) in the fifth round in August 2024, which removed the American contender from the championship picture. Martin intends to do the same thing to Ajagba, who has lost only a 10-round unanimous decision to Cuban contender Frank Sanchez (25-1, 18 KOs) in October 2021.

“In the past I might not have been that dedicated fighter I was when I first started,” Martin said. “That hurt me a lot, so being back on that right track, I’m coming to make a statement.”

Ajagba, The Ring’s No. 8 contender for Oleksandr Usyk’s crown, is an 11-1 favorite according to DraftKings.

The 10-round bout between Ajagba and Martin will headline a three-fight show Paramount+ will start streaming at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT). Russian light heavyweight Umar Dzambekov (13-0, 9 KOs) and Egyptian veteran Ahmed Elbiali (24-1, 19 KOs) are set to square off in the 10-round co-feature.