David Martinez is headed to UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Kavanagh this Saturday night at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. The 27-year-old is set to face the toughest challenge of his career in Marlon Vera—in what appears to be the ultimate prospect vs. veteran bout. Ahead of the fight, however, questions have flooded the internet.

Who is David Martinez? Was he a doctor before joining the UFC ranks? Is he currently practicing? And where is he from? If you, too, are curious about Martinez’s life, you are at the right place.

Where is David Martinez from? Ethnicity & nationality

David Martinez hails from Ecatepec de Morelos in the State of Mexico, and currently lives in Mexico City. Representing the Mexican tricolor, the 27-year-old trains at Bonebreakers.

Like most fighters, his reason to enter the fighting world was just “because I liked to fight.” His religious inclinations are still a mystery, but given that he’s from Mexico – a Catholic-majority nation – if we had to make an educated guess, he’s likely Catholic. That’s one aspect of his life outside the Octagon. But there’s another – something that is far more intriguing and uncanny for an MMA fighter.

David Martinez’s background & life as a doctor

As per UFC, the Mexican bantamweight contender stated, “I am a doctor, and in the sport, I am a kickboxing world champion.” Outside his fighting career, he’s a certified orthopedic surgeon by day. Talking to MMA Junkie, ‘Black Spartan’ revealed that he has an early morning at the hospital at 7 am. Sometimes, when the surgeries and OPD cases pile up, he’s had to stay after-hours at the hospital.

After wrapping up his duties as a medico, he trains at Bonebreakers. But as per the memo, balancing two of the most demanding jobs isn’t easy. He’s had to choose between the two on multiple occasions. In fact, his fighting career even had him put his medical career on hold.

“I stopped the medicine career for a little time, because I want to put all my focus, all my time in this opportunity,” he said. “Because I know this opportunity is the biggest opportunity and the biggest league in the world.”

The human body gets slower as it ages – the risk of injuries becomes high, and the rate of recovery significantly slows down. That’s why many fighters begin their professional career early and retire after crossing the age of 35. And David Martinez had exactly that in mind when he decided to put on hold his medical practice for MMA.

“For medicine, we have a lot of time,” he shared. “For this sport, it’s a very short career.”

What’s even more interesting is that Martinez has revealed recently that he wants to pursue a career as a physician in the UFC once he is done fighting. Now, let’s move on to a more pressing question, given that he’s fighting this weekend. How has the doctor fared in his MMA career? 

David Martinez’s UFC & MMA record

The Mexican doctor began his fighting journey at Xtreme Kombat in 2016. Martinez continued to rock the canvas at Combate Global and even won the bantamweight championship title twice, defending it once. In 2024, he got the chance of a lifetime and stepped in to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series. He won against Xavier Franklin via a unanimous decision and thus secured a UFC contract. 

Since then, David Martinez has fought twice, against Saimon Oliveira and Rob Font, and secured a first-round KO and submission victory, respectively. His first UFC win got him the Performance of the Night bonus at UFC Mexico City, back in March 2025. With that, he pushed his MMA record to 13 wins and one loss, with a nine-fight winning streak. 

Now, Martinez is preparing to take the fight to Marlon Vera at UFC Mexico City in front of his homecrowd. Can the medico execute his surgical precision this Saturday? We’ll just have to wait and see.