Lorain fighter Jose Martinez to appear on UFC’s ‘Ultimate Fighter’ TV show starting April 18

These days, Jose Martinez’s family and friends have a lot of questions.

“I can’t answer any of them,” Martinez said.

The resident of Lorain (he was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., before moving to Northeast Ohio when he was 10) has been sworn to secrecy on all details for more than a month since returning from Las Vegas in early March.

That’s because Martinez and 15 other promising mixed martial arts fighters from across the nation will be featured on UFC’s reality TV show “The Ultimate Fighter 27: Undefeated.” The show’s new season debuts at 10 p.m. April 18 on Fox Sports 1 with a two-hour season premiere.

The Avon Brewing Company will host a watch party April 18. Martinez said he and family and friends will be in attendance. The event is free and open to the public.

“Ask for the Martinez meal,” he said.

Here’s how the show works: The 16 fighters will be picked by the coaches — UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier. A group of eight lightweights and eight featherweights will compete in a tournament-style competition with the winner earning a UFC contract.

The championship match is July 6 at the Pearl Theatre of the Palms Casino Resort in Paradise, Nevada. A day later, Miocic and Cormier headline UFC 226 with a main event bout of two champions.

For the first time in the history of the show, all fighters will enter undefeated.

“We were all undefeated, and none of us had to prove anything to anyone,” Martinez said. “It was a unique experience because you think we would be colliding heads, but actually to this day, all 16 of us are still in contact with each other.”

The big question friends and family want to know is if Martinez advanced to the July 6 bout for the right to earn a UFC contract.

All of that — plus more, Martinez said — will be played out in what he said was an “awesome” and “unique” experience. Filming for the show took place from early January to early March in Las Vegas.

How Martinez got to this opportunity is traced back to Southview High School, which is now closed. There, he was a tailback, defensive lineman and linebacker for the football team. He also wrestled at 171 pounds and ran cross country, but one of his first loves growing up was boxing, and by 2004 he was a Junior Olympics gold medalist.

“Everyone knew me around town as the guy who boxed, and a guy who could wrestle too,” Martinez said.

When an area MMA-style gym opened, and a local card was put together to promote the facility, Martinez was asked to participate. He accepted the fight, but it didn’t go the way he anticipated.

“I dropped the guy, and I waited for the eight count,” Martinez said. “He got back up and dropped a haymaker on me. I was shocked. I was so used to boxing rules. I waited two months and got back in (the octagon), and got my first TKO. It was amazing the adrenaline from start to finish.”

He’s spent the past decade mostly as a boxer, and amateur MMA fighter. It wasn’t until a little more than a year ago that he went all-in on a career in the octagon.

“I’ve only been a pro for about a year,” said Martinez, 28. “I wasn’t expecting to be in a situation like this, especially after just turning pro. I’ve known I would be ready for something like this, but I thought it would take a year-and-a-half, two years.”

Martinez’s first pro bout was December 2016, when he defeated James Pfeiffer on the main card at Pinnacle FC 15. In May 2017, he knocked out Roger Hampton at the Bayfront Brawl 3, then won a unanimous decision against Brian Akins to set up a pressure-packed bout last December.

Against Elijah Harris, a fighter from the East Coast, at IT Fight Series 78, UFC officials who were scouting Martinez told him and his coach Tony Rottari, a Lorain resident, a win would earn him a shot at qualifying for a spot on “Ultimate Fighter.”

It didn’t take long for Martinez to take care of business. He won the bout in Round 1 with a flurry of punches. Two days later, he was on his way to Las Vegas, and earned his spot on the show.

“All of this was very last-minute,” Martinez said.

He said goodbye to his 6-year-old daughter, and took a hiatus from attending classes at Lorain County Community College, where he’s part of a program with the University of Akron and is working to pursue a degree in engineering.

Those plans are on hold for a bit. He’s now a full-time MMA fighter. His daily routine includes waking up around 4 or 4:30 a.m. for yoga classes, then jiu-jitsu training. That’s followed with strength and conditioning work at T3 Performance in Avon.

Martinez also trains at Coach Marcus Marinelli’s Strong Style gym in Independence, which is home for Miocic. Marinelli recently added Martinez to his list of MMA fighters.

Martinez’s relationship with Miocic was built during the two months of filming. He went from fan of Miocic to a friend.

“Great guy,” Martinez said of Miocic. “Very easy-going. Very approachable. Cool, relaxed. Stipe’s the baddest man on the planet. You’d think he’d be the hardest guy to talk to. But no he’s actually very cool. Very funny. I think everyone’s going to see him on a personal level. How he cares about people, and how he tries to help them out.”

As for what he took from the show, Martinez said a lot. It started with continuing his development as a complete fighter, as well as the belief he has in himself.

“I do want to be a champion, but ultimately my goal is to be pound-for-pound one of the best,” Martinez said.

How far Martinez takes his MMA career might depend on how he fares on “Ultimate Fighter.” Beginning April 18, friends, family and the city of Lorain will begin to get some answers.

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