Melissa Martinez stays in the gym whether she is fighting or not. It’s the lifestyle she and her brother, fellow UFC fighter David Martinez, chose. The two made history as the second sister-brother duo to compete in the UFC. Melissa earned her contract first, making her debut at UFC 279: Diaz vs Ferguson against Elise Reed. However, she fell short on the judges’ scorecards, suffering her first professional loss and would have to wait more than two years to return to action.
The timing worked out, however, as David scored his contract via Dana White’s Contender Series in October 2024, just 18 days before Melissa took home a decision win over Alice Ardelean at UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs Pereira.