The Axe Murderer’s Apprentice

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That support continued to be there as Lopez’s resolve was tested while training with former Chute Boxe coach Roberto Piccinini in Los Angeles. With little money to his name, Lopez lived in the gym with his instructor, subsisting on a diet of frozen dinners while training and cleaning the facility on a daily basis.

“When he was living in California, he kind of manned up,” Martinez says. “He didn’t really ask for much. He was just, like, ‘No, I’m fine, I’m fine,’ so that just proved a lot to me. People that struggle tend to have a little more love for the sport.”

It was Lopez’s last stop before moving to Sin City, where he trained at Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts before finding a home with the Wand Fight Team. He looks back on that period of hardship as critical to his growth.

“I almost wish I could go back and live that year again. It was just at the beginning of the recession and everybody was doing bad. My parents weren’t doing too good; nobody really had money,” he says. “It makes you appreciate what you have now. I don’t look back on it and feel bad for myself. I look back and appreciate it.”

Lopez’s relationship with his sister is as close one can be between siblings. Martinez has served as equal parts advisor, best friend and caretaker at different points in their lives. When Lopez’s bank account was running low while he was in Los Angeles, Martinez made sure he had at least enough money to eat.

“She’s kind of a mentor in life,” he says. “She’s always bailed me out whenever I needed help. I actually thank her for a lot of my success.”

Their careers paths will converge on the third Saturday of September. While Lopez makes his debut in the Octagon, Martinez will be taking part in a fitness competition in Las Vegas. Daniel Will be with his son that night, while Guadalupe will accompany Martinez. Of course, the siblings will keep tabs on each other, as well. They always have, even when Martinez was giving birth to her son two years ago.

“He called me right after his fight, and I was still in the delivery room,” she says. “We had been calling each other throughout the day because I was being taken to the hospital. Right after he won, I think an hour later, is when I had my son.”

Lopez took a unanimous decision over Jaime Fletcher at Worlds Collide 4 in Nevada on that August night in 2009, but he is well aware that the days when his pure strength and speed overwhelmed opponents is over. In the UFC, some welterweights cut from 200 pounds, while Lopez has admitted to considering a drop to lightweight. However, a strong base that comes from squatting more than 500 pounds as early as high school might keep him anchored at 170 pounds.

“I’ve thought about [moving to 155], but my legs are way too big,” Lopez says. “As far as a strength advantage, that’s one thing that I believe I’m gonna have over every welterweight in the UFC, except for [Georges St. Pierre] is lower body strength. My legs are by far stronger than a lot of guys in the welterweight division.”

The former Utah high school state wrestling champion is riding an impressive nine-fight winning streak that includes four technical knockouts. If there is a criticism, it is that his countering style often leaves observers wanting more from a fighter with so many athletic gifts. His strategy came into question against Waachiim Spiritwolf at Tachi Palace Fights 9 “The Contenders,” where Lopez seemed to lack aggression in taking a unanimous decision. Wanderlei’s student says he had a specific plan for that fight.

“You’ve seen that happen so many times, that when a guy is winning the fight, [he] becomes overly aggressive and gets knocked out,” he says. “All the hard work that I’ve put in and all the sacrifices that I’ve had to go though in my life weren’t worth losing to Spiritwolf at Tachi Palace because of a simple mistake of being overly aggressive.”

Such a statement implies that Lopez has held back, that the best is yet to come. Against Marshall, he demonstrated more of the type of potential that has tantalized so many thus far in his career. To stick around the UFC, the evolution must continue.

“There’s still so much room to improve,” Lopez says. “You see it every day -- every UFC, you see something new.”

Eventually, Lopez hopes to become part of that “something new” -- the fighter that has people talking around the water cooler, on message boards and in bars. As he continues on that path, he will have help along the way. Family always makes handling pressure just a little bit easier.