When Mana Martinez stepped into the Fury FC 46 cage in May, he refused to again squander his opportunity to fight in front of UFC president Dana White.

Unlike his Dana White’s Contender Series opportunity in 2020, however, Martinez’s chance to secure a UFC deal from the boss came on home territory. In front of the Houston crowd, Martinez (8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) iced fellow DWCS alum Jose Johnson in 32 seconds to earn an offer from White, who was there to film an episode of “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight.”

“It’s still a little of a blur to me,” Martinez recently told MMA Junkie. “I kind of do remember what I told Dana and what was being told to me and then I kind of don’t, because it all happened so fast. It was an amazing experience overall. I can’t say it enough. Everything really does happen for a reason. The little setback I had in Contender Series was just a setup for me to go out there in my hometown in front of everyone who supported me since day one, or most of them.

“To come out victorious in the fashion that I did, and in the time that I did as well, was unreal. I couldn’t ask for a better feeling or a better experience. It was just great, awesome, and I know and clearly remember Dana telling me, ‘Welcome back into the UFC, kid.’ Those words will stick with me forever. I got my redemption and I’m so happy and so excited. I’m so happy. It’s truly amazing.”

Martinez, 25, is a training partner and close friend of increasingly popular bantamweight prospect Adrian Yanez. The two train under Saul Soliz at Metro Fight Club, a Houston-area gym with a rising reputation on the regional and national level.

“Starting off with Adrian, myself coming up, and the other guys we have at the gym are very young and very hungry,” Martinez said. “I’ve mentioned it time and time again. They’re very motivated as well. They help me push. They help me drive. Early 20s, even some of them still in their teens, it’s crazy to see and think about how good they’re going to be when they’re our age, Adrian and (my) age. Shout out to all those guys. They’re grinding. They’re pushing. They see Adrian and I as a good example and I feel like they’re following the right footsteps and especially with how young they are. They have all the potential in the world.”

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Saturday at UFC on ESPN 29, Martinez will make his promotional debut when he steps in the cage against replacement Trevin Jones, who filled in for Jesse Strader or less than two weeks’ notice. A striker with big-time knockout power and a 100 percent finishing rate, Martinez doesn’t see a reason to hype the fight with extracurriculars. He’ll let his performance speak for itself.

“It’s going to be an exciting debut for me,” Martinez said. “I know my first time around was definitely a fluke. There was a bunch of things around me, you know, the whole pandemic kind of played a big factor into it. This go-around, I’m positive (with) high hopes (and) high spirits. I’m ready to go. I always say actions speak louder than words, so come next Saturday, you’ll see my actions and how I put this guy away. Those will speak way louder than any words I could say right now.”

Check out Mana Martinez’s full interview with MMA Junkie below: