David “The Black Spartan” Martinez (11-1) will make his official debut in The Octagon when the UFC returns to Mexico City on Saturday, March 29 with a UFC Fight Night event.
The 26-year-old native of Mexico City and former Combate Global bantamweight (135 pounds/61 kilograms) champion will battle Salmon Oliveira (18-5) at Arena CDMX.
Martinez, also a practicing medical doctor in Mexico City and a former amateur kickboxing champion who earned 9 of his first 10 professional MMA career wins by knockout under the promotion of Combate Global, is known for his strong traditional martial arts foundation taught to him by his father and mother, both martial arts trainers.
Martinez secured his place on the UFC roster after winning a unanimous decision over Xavier Franklin at UFC CEO “Dana White’s Contender Series” event last October 1.
He is a member of The Bonebreakers fight team, which won the $50,000 grand prize in Combate Global’s 2022 competition reality television series that pitted fighters from four of the world’s top gyms against each other.
With the ‘Contender Series’ win, Martinez and his sister, Melissa, became the second duo of siblings to simultaneously be part of the UFC’s roster of fighters. The first pair was Mizuki and Naoki Inoue.
Oliveira is a 33-year-old native and resident of Cocal do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil looking to bounce back from two consecutive losses after being out of action throughout 2024.
Like Martinez, Oliveira earned his spot on the UFC roster with a strong performance and unanimous decision win over another Mexican competitor and former champion, José “Pochito” Alday, in September 2021.
