Courtesy photo Escanaba’s Josh Parisian (right) fights Roque Martinez at UFC Fight Night: The Korean Zombie vs Ige in Las Vegas Saturday.

LAS VEGAS — Escanaba’s Josh Parisian earned his first win in the UFC Saturday night, defeating Roque Martinez (15-8-2) via split decision (29-28, 29-28 and 28-29) at UFC Fight Night: The Korean Zombie vs Ige in Las Vegas.

“It feels really good to get my first win because I feel like I wouldn’t have felt as accomplished if I went to the UFC and I had got cut after never winning a fight,” Parisian said. “After winning that, it made me feel like I belong there and, kind of, gave me the confidence to know that.”

The three-round fight saw Parisian (14-4) and Martinez shift momentum back and forth throughout, with Parisian being declared the winner by decision after time ran out.

“The first round I would give to him for sure, and I think the judges did as well,” said Parisian. “He came out very aggressive, high energy. It felt like he was trying to get the finish early.

“But, he also did something I didn’t anticipate. … I knew that he would try to get on the inside because he had shorter arms — that’s the only way he could hit me — but I didn’t think he would press me against the cage and try to be more of an offensive wrestler because he’s always been a striker. I have never seen that from him, so it was kind of a surprise.”

With Martinez backing him against the cage, Parisian saw an opportunity to gain the upper hand.

“When he had me against the wall, I just felt how much energy he was using,” he said. “So, I just kind of relaxed.”

After his last fight — a loss via decision against Parker Porter in November of 2020 — Parisian made some changes to his conditioning regimen to prepare for his battle against Martinez.

Early in the Porter fight, Parisian experienced an adrenaline dump that left him sapped of energy.

“I was kind of nervous about my cardio, especially after the last fight (where) I had the adrenaline dump. I just felt so tired, and I was really worried about it this time,” he said. “So, I was kind of on a low pace cruise-control for the first round. Especially since he was using so much energy.

“I was kind of hoping I would climb as he started to fall, and that’s pretty much exactly what happened.”

Parisian’s worries about his cardio were relieved after the first five minutes of the fight.

“In between the first and second round, I realized that I wasn’t even breathing hard, and I had a lot in the tank,” he said. “I was able to move my legs more. In the third round, I felt like I was moving better than I was in the first.

When the fight ended, it was time to wait for the judges’ official decision. At the time, Parisian could have seen the result going either way. After watching the fight back, he had different feelings.

“At that point, I wasn’t sure if I’d won,” he said. “In the moment, I would not have been upset if I had lost because I thought I hit him much harder than he hit me. But, I also knew that he was playing the game. … He hit me way more times. Even just little shots to the thigh, those add up on the scorecard. … I was grateful that at least two of the judges appreciated that the damage I did was more than the damage he did even though he hit me more.

“After I watched the fight, I felt like I won the second and third round decisively.”

Among some of the powerful blows Parisian was able to land on Martinez was a snap kick that cut him to the bone, literally. More surprising is that Martinez was only slightly fazed by it. In his 14 years of professional fighting, Martinez has never been knocked out.

“It split him under his chin all the way to the bone,” Parisian said. “It didn’t knock him out! I remember him being like stunned for half a second then just come right forward. I was like, ‘My goodness, what is going on right now?’

“He was a very tough, tough, guy. I just don’t know if I could have knocked him out with anything.”

Moving forward, Parisian strives to see success through being an entertaining fighter.

“At the end of the day, whether I win, I lose, I get a decision or I get a knockout, it’s most important that I always put on a good show and people are happy with the fight,” he said. “I am a fighter, but, at the end of the day, I’m also an entertainer. And that’s what I want to do, entertain people.”

What is even more important to the full-time father and fighter is being happy with his impact on the sport, making his family proud and setting a good example for his daughter.

“As far as my career, for me — my legacy and just feeling good about what I’m doing — and making my family proud it’s important to me,” he said. “Especially with my daughter, it’s really important for me to go out there — even if I lose, no matter what happens — it’s a scary thing to go out there and fight another man who’s top of the world.

“I feel like the best lesson that I can give her is that even if something scary and you’re scared, you still go out and do it. There are things in life that are going to be scary to her and, just because of that, I don’t want her to go out there and think that she can’t do things and be successful.”