David Martinez is riding high, even though his UFC debut was nearly three weeks ago.
After a lifetime build, and sacrifices that included stepping away from a lucrative career as a surgeon, Martinez (12-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made a dream come true March 29 at UFC on ESPN 64 when he finished Saimon Oliveira with strikes in front of a raucous Mexico City crowd.
Martinez still can’t suppress his smile when he reflects on it.
“I was very excited with my performance and very happy I won one of the bonuses,” Martinez told MMA Junkie on Tuesday through a Spanish-language interpreter. “… For me, it’s a dream. I am very happy. I am very proud of my performance and for the work that I put in in these months. I was proud because I fought with my city, with my people, with the best league in the world, the UFC. It was exciting.”
After his first taste of the UFC cage, Martinez craves more. He wants another fight, another opportunity to rack up a highlight, and another moment of elation as he soaks in crowd noise.
Despite fighting in his home country, Martinez admits the experience was a bit foreign. Coming up the ranks through Combate Global, which holds its events in a studio without a live audience, then moving onto the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series at the UFC Apex, Martinez wasn’t used to that level of energy.
However, he used virtual reality boxing games during training camp to help him mentally adjust.
“It’s a very different mental work,” Martinez said. “It’s very funny because I worked this mental compartment with my VR for PlayStation 5. I have one game where I’m boxing with the other guy and there’s a lot of noise. When I plat this game, I make believe it’s my next fight. That’s what I did for this fight.”
As he turns his attention away from the past and toward the future, Martinez thinks it’s a no-brainer what’s next. First, he’ll help his sister Melissa Martinez with her UFC fight July 12 vs. Fatima Kline at an event expected to take place in Nashville, Tenn.
He’s crossing his fingers that he can return to competition Sept. 13 at UFC 320, the promotion’s annual Noche UFC, a celebration of Mexican Independence Day.
“I want to fight in Mexico in September in Guadalajara,” Martinez said. “I’m ready right now. In this moment, I’m very focused on the next fight of my sister [Melissa Martinez]. My sister fights on July 12 and I’m very excited to go with her. Next for me, I believe will be in Guadalajara. … I don’t have one name specifically. I am ready for whatever fighter. I want to take it step-by-step, little steps.”
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