Estevan Martinez

Estevan Martinez-Garcia is a jiu-jitsu black belt under Lucas Rocha and a representative of the ZR Team in the sport’s global circuit, who worked extensively with the Lopez Brothers (Kalo and Kale) prior to his time with coach Rocha. Estevan Martinez first made waves as a black belt while competing in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation league, where he earned 2 American Nationals titles (Gi and No-Gi) in his debut year, later conquering a Pan American gold medal (2021) in No-Gi.

Estevan Martinez Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Estevan G Martinez-Garcia

Nickname: Martinez’s social media tags and brand name is “Giant Slayer”. This is due to Estevan’s willingness to compete in the open weight division, despite being a rooster-weight athlete.

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Jr > Jose Olimpio > Lucas Rocha > Estevan Martinez

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2021)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI (2021)
• 1st Place IBJJF American Nationals NOGI (2020)
• 1st Place IBJJF American Nationals (2020)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2022)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• 2nd Place AJP Grand Slam, LA (2017 brown)
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2019 brown)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2016 brown)

* Absolute
** Weight and Absolute

Favorite Position/Technique: Blitz Guard Passing

Weight Division: Peso Galo (127.0 lbs / 57,50 kg)

Team/Association: ZR Team

Estevan Martinez Biography

Estevan Martinez was born on March 28, 1993, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

At the age of 14, Estevan decided to apply for his high school’s wrestling team, competing plenty during a 4 year period for said team. Shortly after graduating from high school (2011), one of Martinez’s wrestling buddies asked him to tag along to a jiu-jitsu class at a local club. Although unfamiliar with the sport, Estevan accepted.

After an initial interaction with the sport, and particularly after learning of BJJ’s strong tournament scene, Estevan became increasingly devoted to submission-grappling. Starting out in jiu-jitsu with coaches Kalo and Kale Lopez, Estevan made waves in the local circuit while climbing the rankings of the martial art up until his brown belt.

Even though he allocated all his resources to the sport, Estevan was not achieving the results he aspired for at an international level. The lengthy, expensive trips to compete in California and the fact that he trained in a smaller team were strong reasons for Martinez to decide on making a switch to a bigger training hub. The opportunity to move out of Albuquerque came by in 2017, through one of Estevan’s friends, Mike Medina. Mike trained at the US Headquarters of the ZR Team with 3 athletes greatly admired by Martinez, namely Lucas Rocha, Diego Ramalho, and Gabriel Sousa. Medina offered the young athlete a chance to come to California and train with the team, an proposal accepted by Estevan.

Estevan Martinez trained under Lucas for three years earning my black belt on June 1, 2019, after a bronze medal at the IBJJF World Championships that year.