David Martínez (fighter)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Aceves and the second or maternal family name is Martínez.
David Martínez
BornMiguel David Aceves Martínez
(1998-08-03) August 3, 1998
Ecatepec de Morelos, State of Mexico, Mexico
Other namesBlack Spartan
Doctor
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight132 lb (60 kg; 9 st 6 lb)
DivisionBantamweight
Fighting out ofMexico City, Mexico
TeamBonebreakers MMA
RankBlack belt in Karate[1]
Black belt in kickboxing[1]
Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[1]
Years active2016–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total15
Wins14
By knockout10
By submission0
By decision4
Losses1
By decision1
Other information
Notable relativesMelissa Martínez (sister)
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Miguel David Aceves Martínez (born August 3, 1998) is a Mexican professional mixed martial artist and orthopedic surgeon[2] who currently competes in the Bantamweight division of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of March 3, 2026, he is #9 in the UFC bantamweight rankings.[3]

Early life

Martínez was born on August 3, 1998, in Ecatepec de Morelos, State of Mexico. However, due to the local insecurity, he moved to Mexico City as a child. In his teens, he became interested in mixed martial arts, joining the Bonebreakers MMA Team with his older sister, Melissa. David also holds a bachelor's degree, having studied medicine at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.[4]

Mixed martial arts career

Combate Americas/Global

In 2018, Martínez signed with Combate Americas, later renamed Combate Global.[5] There he suffered the first defeat of his career, at the hands of Gianni Vázquez on April 9, 2021 in Combate Global: Chairez vs. Monterroso.[6]

After Gustavo Lopez vacated his Bantamweight Championship, the promotion created a tournament to crown a new champion, with Martínez among the contenders. On May 29, 2021, Martínez defeated Alejandro González by first-round TKO in the quarterfinals, and then Alan Cantú by unanimous decision in the semifinals.

CG Bantamweight Championship

In the tournament final, held on the same date, he challenged then-bantamweight champion Francisco Rivera. With a knockout 17 seconds into the second round, Martínez became the bantamweight champion.[7]

In his first title defense, Martínez faced Arturo Vergara on May 27, 2022.[8] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.[9]

Martínez faced Axel Osuna on October 7, 2022,[10] winning again by TKO to retain the title, this time in the fourth round.[11]

Martínez faced Jose Zarauz on May 28, 2023.[12] With an incredible roundhouse kick in the fourth round, he successfully retained the title for the third time.[13] He later left the company.[14]

Dana White's Contender Series

Martínez competed in Week 8 of Dana White's Contender Series Season 8 for a UFC contract, facing Xavier Franklin on October 1, 2024. He earned a unanimous decision victory and was one of five new signings to the promotion.[15]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Martínez made his UFC debut on March 29, 2025, at UFC on ESPN 64, where he faced Saimon Oliveira. With a pair of knees and punches, he won the fight in the first round.[16] This victory earned him Performance of the Night honors.[17]

Martínez was scheduled to face Carlos Vera on September 13, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 259,[18] but the fight was canceled for unknown reasons, and his place was taken by Quang Le. However, this latter fight was also canceled due to Martínez being removed from the co-main event, where he will face Rob Font.[19] David won the fight by unanimous decision.[20]

Martínez faced Marlon Vera on February 28, 2026, at UFC Fight Night 268.[21] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[22]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
15 matches 14 wins 1 loss
By knockout 10 0
By decision 4 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 14–1 Marlon Vera Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Kavanagh February 28, 2026 3 5:00 Mexico City, Mexico
Win 13–1 Rob Font Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Lopes vs. Silva September 13, 2025 3 5:00 San Antonio, Texas, United States
Win 12–1 Saimon Oliveira TKO (knee and punches) UFC on ESPN: Moreno vs. Erceg March 29, 2025 1 4:38 Mexico City, Mexico Performance of the Night.
Win 11–1 Xavier Franklin Decision (unanimous) Dana White's Contender Series 74 October 1, 2024 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 10–1 Jose Zarauz KO (spinning wheel kick) Combate Global: Martínez vs. Zarauz May 28, 2023 4 4:17 Miami, Florida, United States Defended the Combate Bantamweight Championship.
Win 9–1 Axel Osuna TKO (punches) Combate Global: Martínez vs. Osuna October 7, 2022 4 4:14 Miami, Florida, United States Defended the Combate Bantamweight Championship.
Win 8–1 Arturo Vergara TKO (punches) Combate Global: Martínez vs. Vergara May 27, 2022 1 2:08 Miami, Florida, United States Defended the Combate Bantamweight Championship.
Win 7–1 Francisco Rivera KO (head kick and punches) Combate Global: Bantamweight Tournament May 29, 2021 2 0:17 Miami, Florida, United States Won the 2021 Combate Bantamweight Tournament and the vacant Combate Bantamweight Championship.
Win 6–1 Alan Cantú Decision (unanimous) 3 5:00 Miami, Florida, United States 2021 Combate Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal.
Win 5–1 Alejandro González TKO (punches) 1 1:50 Miami, Florida, United States 2021 Combate Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinal.
Loss 4–1 Gianni Vázquez Decision (split) Combate Global: Cháirez vs. Monterroso April 9, 2021 3 5:00 Miami, Florida, United States
Win 4–0 William Sánchez TKO (punches) Combate Americas 38 March 31, 2019 1 0:56 Lima, Peru
Win 3–0 Enrique Barragán KO (punch) Combate Americas: Estrellas 2 April 20, 2018 1 1:10 Monterrey, Mexico
Win 2–0 Josue López KO (punch) Panama Fight League: Ultimate Combat Challenge 30 July 23, 2016 1 2:50 Guatemala City, Guatemala
Win 1–0 Erick Espita Garcia TKO (punches) Xtreme Kombat 31 February 20, 2016 2 2:11 Mexico City, Mexico Bantamweight debut.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "David Martinez | UFC". UFC.com. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  2. ^ King, Nolan. "David Martinez pauses work as surgeon for Dana White's Contender Series, hopes to join sister in UFC". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  3. ^ "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2026-03-03.
  4. ^ "David Martínez, el mexicano que pasó del IMSS a brillar en la UFC". Récord. 2025-09-13. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  5. ^ "David Martínez: Viviendo en una familia de artistas marciales". www.combateglobal.com (in Spanish). 2019-05-14. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  6. ^ "Gianni Vázquez vence por decisión dividida a David Martínez". TUDN. 2021-04-09. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  7. ^ "Combate Global Results: Martinez Claims Bantamweight Tournament with Finish of Rivera". Combat Press. Retrieved 2021-05-31.
  8. ^ "COMBATE GLOBAL ANNOUNCES COMPLETE FIGHT LINEUP FOR SUNDAY, MAY 29 ON UNIVISION AND TUDN USA". TelevisaUnivision. 2023-05-24. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  9. ^ "Combate Global: David Martínez defeats Arturo Vergara". Tapology. 2022-05-27. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  10. ^ "Combate Global announces world championship event for Friday, with David Martinez vs. Axel Osuna". mixedmartialarts.com (in Mexican Spanish). 2022-10-03. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  11. ^ "Combate Global: David Martínez retiene su título gallo". Récord (in Mexican Spanish). 2022-10-18. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  12. ^ "'Spartan' Martínez pondrá en juego su título de peso gallo en Combate Global". TUDN (in Mexican Spanish). 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  13. ^ Segura, Danny (2023-05-29). "Video: David Martinez scores spinning wheel kick KO in Combate Global title defense". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  14. ^ "Mexican standout David Martinez splits with Combate Global, dreams of signing with UFC". Yahoo! Sports. 2024-06-11. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  15. ^ "¡Un mexicano más! David Martínez gana su contrato con UFC tras destacar en DWCS". El Imparcial (in Mexican Spanish). 2024-10-02. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  16. ^ Bitter, Shawn (2025-03-29). "UFC Mexico City: David Martinez Makes Big Splash in Debut, Stops Saimon Oliveira". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  17. ^ a b Dan Hiergesell (2025-03-29). "Bonuses! Manuel Torres goes 'El Loco,' banks $50K for co-main event knockout - UFC Mexico City". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  18. ^ Julio Moreira (2025-07-25). "Carlos Vera volverá al octágono en septiembre y se enfrentará a David Martínez". eldiario.ec. Retrieved 2025-07-31. (in Spanish)
  19. ^ "Rob Font vs David Martinez este mismo Sábado en UFC Fight Night 259 y ESPN". NotiFight. 2025-09-08. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  20. ^ Mathis Desjardins (2025-09-13). "Noche UFC: David Martínez Earns Hard-Fought Victory Over Rob Font". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  21. ^ "UFC fan favorite set to try and end losing streak in dangerous UFC Mexico fight". MMA Knockout On SI. 2026-01-13. Retrieved 2026-01-13.
  22. ^ Nick Holt (2026-02-28). "UFC Mexico City: David Martinez hands Chito Vera fourth straight loss". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2026-03-01.
  23. ^ "The Newcomers | 2025 UFC.com Awards | UFC". www.ufc.com. December 18, 2025. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
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