Adriano Martins never recovered after knocking out Islam Makhachev

Adriano Martins secured a massive victory over Islam Makhachev in 2015, but he never regained his momentum in professional mixed martial arts. The Brazilian fighter landed a heavy counter right hand at UFC 192 to hand the Dagestani prospect his first career loss. While Makhachev went on to become a dominant champion, the win proved to be the final peak of Martins' career.

Following that knockout, Martins' trajectory declined rapidly. He returned to the UFC at UFC 204 in Manchester, where he suffered a split decision loss to Leonardo Santos. His next appearance at UFC 215 ended in a third-round knockout defeat against Kajan Johnson. This loss resulted in Martins being released from the UFC promotion.

Martins later moved to the regional circuit, including a fight in Russia where he lost to Alexander Shabily in 2018. He returned to Brazil for a series of matches but failed to secure any wins in his subsequent three fights. This winless streak left his professional record at 28-11.

After a three-year hiatus from competition, Martins returned to the cage in March 2024 against Donovan Desmae. Although he initially lost via decision, the result was later overturned due to a scoring error. He returned to Russia again last year to face Alexander Sarnavskiy, losing once more by decision.

Now 43 years old, Martins has significantly reduced his frequency of fighting, though he has not officially retired. Despite the decline, his power remains noted by peers; Arman Tsarukyan stated that Martins' punch was so forceful it caused him to spit blood for weeks during training. However, the man who once stunned a future legend has struggled to find success in the years since.