The nicknames of UFC fighters are often a topic of intrigue. Hence, today we will be looking at the opponent, who could be former two-time featherweight champion, Jose Aldo‘s, last UFC opponent, Jonathan Martinez. The 30-year-old has a decade-long experience as a pro-MMA fighter. At this point, his record shows him to be a pretty accomplished fighter, with 19 wins and 4 losses. Throughout his career, Martinez has always used the nickname ‘Dragon’ to refer to himself.

Let’s pull the curtain and find the meaning behind the bantamweight star’s nickname, ‘Dragon’.

Meaning behind Jonathan Martinez’s ‘Dragon’

Unlike other fighters’ nicknames, there is no explanation as to what could have been the real reason for Jonathan Martinez to adopt the moniker of the famed mythical creature. But when he once sat down with the UFC’s media team, he hinted that the nickname ‘Dragon’ could just be a nod to his approach to life.

“Honestly, just stay focused and train hard, that’s the main thing, there are some days you don’t want to go and those are the days you need to go and you’re going to get better. I still go because I know, at the end of the day, it’s going to pay off,” Martinez stated.

Although there is no specific reason for Jonathan Martinez’s nickname, there is a meaning to the ‘Dragon’ moniker. People who have this nickname are those who tend to be ferocious. If we look at his MMA career, Martinez does have most of his wins by knockouts, which could be the reason he uses that name. The 30-year-old has 9 career knockouts. Given that he’s fighting Jose Aldo at UFC 301, did you know that the matchmakers didn’t have any plans for him to feature on that card?

UFC 301 did not originally feature Jonathan Martinez

Jonathan Martinez’s spot on the UFC 301 card was supposed to be filled by the former bantamweight champion and a legend in his own right, Dominick Cruz. ‘The Dominator’ has a similar record in the UFC as Jose Aldo, as both of them won a divisional gold twice. As such, the upcoming pay-per-view was supposed to feature a legends’ clash, but that didn’t come to fruition.

“There’s a lot of history around a fight between myself and Dominick, but Jonathan Martinez is a very tough opponent and what really matters to me is I look at every fight like I’m fighting the best and I’m fighting the biggest challenge. That hasn’t changed,” Aldo stated in an interview with MMA Junkie.

Are you excited about the clash between Aldo and Ma3tinez? Let us know in the comments below.