Jonathan Martinez (born April 20, 1994) is an American professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. Martinez currently competes in the

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC).

Background

Martinez from a Salvadoran mother and Mexican father was born and grew up in California and moved with his family to

Plainview, Texas Plainview is a city in and the county seat of Hale County, Texas, Hale County, Texas, United States. The population was 20,187 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Plainview began when Z. T. Maxwell and Edwin Lowden Lowe establ ...

, at the age of 13. At the age of 14, his father took him to

Taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

class to learn discipline, which eventually led to mixed martial arts training.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Martinez started his professional MMA career since 2014. He amassed a record of 9–1 prior to being signed by the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Martinez made his UFC debut on October 27, 2018 on UFC Fight Night: Volkan vs. Smith, replacing an injured Gavin Tucker against

Andre Soukhamthath Andre Soukhamthath (, born October 23, 1988) is a retired American mixed martial artist who competed in the Bantamweight division. A professional mixed martial artist from 2011 until 2022, he had competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and ...

. After getting knocked down multiple times, Martinez lost the fight via unanimous decision. Martinez's next fight came on February 9, 2019 at UFC 234 against Wuliji Buren. Martinez won the fight via unanimous decision. Martinez faced Liu Pingyuan on July 13, 2019 at UFC Fight Night: de Randamie vs. Ladd. He won the fight via knockout in round three. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award. As the last fight of his prevailing contract, Martinez faced Andre Ewell on February 8, 2020 at

UFC 247 ''UFC 247: Jones vs. Reyes'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 8, 2020, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Light Heavyweight Championshi ...

. He lost the fight via split decision. Right after the bout, Martinez signed a new contract with the promotion. Martinez faced Frankie Saenz on August 1, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan. At the weigh-ins, Martinez weighed in at 140.5 pounds, four and a half pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. His bout proceeded at a catchweight and he was fined 30 percent of his purse, which went to Saenz. After knocking Saenz down multiple times, Martinez won the fight via TKO in the third round. Martinez faced Thomas Almeida on October 18, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 180. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Martinez faced

Davey Grant David Jeremy Grant (born 18 December 1985) is an English mixed martial artist. He was one of the cast members for UFC TV series The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate and currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate ...

on March 13, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 187. Despite knocking Grant down in the first round, Martinez ultimately lost the fight via knockout in round two. Martinez was scheduled to face Nathaniel Wood on September 4, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 191. However, Wood was removed from the bout in mid-August for undisclosed reasons and replaced by Marcelo Rojo. At the weigh-ins, Martinez weighed in at 138 pounds, two pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. The bout was scrapped after Martinez withdrew due to complications from the weight cut. Martinez was scheduled to face Aaron Phillips, replacing Kris Moutinho on October 23, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 196. However, Philips withdrew from the bout due to illness and was replaced by Zviad Lazishvili. Martinez won the fight via unanimous decision. Martinez faced Alejandro Pérez on February 26, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 202. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Martinez faced

Vince Morales Vince Morales (born November 12, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2015, Morales has also competed in Bellator. Backg ...

on May 21, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 206 ''UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 206'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 64'' or ''UFC Vegas 55'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 21, 2022, at the UFC Apex f ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Martinez faced

Cub Swanson Kevin Luke "Cub" Swanson (born November 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2004, S ...

on October 15, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 212 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The large ...

. He won the fight via technical knockout in round two. This win earned him the '' Performance of the Night'' award. Martinez faced

Said Nurmagomedov Said Makhachevich Nurmagomedov (; born April 5, 1992) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2009, he formerly competed ...

on March 11, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 221. He won the fight via unanimous decision. 13 out of 17 media outlets scored the bout as a victory for Nurmagomedov. Martinez faced Adrian Yañez on October 14, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 230. He won the fight via TKO in round two. This win earned him the '' Performance of the Night'' award. Martinez faced

José Aldo José Aldo da Silva Oliveira Júnior (; born 9 September 1986), known as José Aldo, is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer who competed in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions of the Ultimate F ...

on May 4, 2024, at UFC 301. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Martinez faced Marcus McGhee on November 16, 2024 at UFC 309. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Personal life

Jonathan and his wife Amber have three children.

Championships and awards

** Performance of the Night (Three times) *Xtreme Fighting League **XFL Flyweight Championship (one time; former) **XFL Bantamweight Championship (one time; former)

Mixed martial arts record

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Jonathan Living people 1994 births Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male taekwondo practitioners American male mixed martial artists People from Plainview, Texas Mixed martial artists from Texas Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American mixed martial artists of Mexican descent American people of Salvadoran descent 21st-century American sportsmen