Geo Martinez is a true prodigy of light weight grappling world. Aged 33 Martinez is the brother of well-known grappler Richie “Boogieman” Martinez. Geo was brought into the sport at a young age after other pursuits in sports. Martinez trains out of 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu under Eddie Bravo. The unique approach to Bjj suited the style in which the 10th Planet team execute their game. His background in freestyle breakdancing gave him a huge advantage in terms of his flexibility, body strength and understanding of technique. Such was his innate ability, he earned his black belt in just 3.5 years of training. At 64kgs (140lbs), Martinez is a smaller grappler with an ability to invert and control his opponents in unusual positions. As of October 2020, Martinez was ranked #2 in his division by Flo Grappling.
Geo “Freakazoid” Martinez
Martinez’s fighting style is true to the 10th Planet style of fighting. His go to control is the truck, a unique style of back take. Martinez has published several instructional videos in approaching the truck and the submissions available from that position. Martinez high percentage attacks include calf slicers, rolling kimuras, twisters and gogoplatas. All of these techniques require a high level of flexibility and dexterity which are a specialty of Martinez. Martinez has competed in almost every high level Bjj tournament in the world. His performances in the Eddie Bravo Invitational have been outstanding and most recently, he has competed in Combat Jiu Jitsu Tournaments where open palmed strikes are permitted alongside traditional grappling.
Martinez has a professional Bjj record of 33 wins and 14 losses. Notable recent victories include the Miao brothers, Paulo (2020) and João (2019). The Miaos are known for their pressure and are commonly referred to as the best grapplers in their division today. Martinez has had back and forth battles with the brothers in recent times but currently holds the upper hand. Martinez is also acclaimed for his victories over Jeff Glover. As one of the most decorated submission grapplers in recent history, Glover was defeated by Martinez in 2014 (Eddie Bravo Inivitational) and 2015 (ADCC). This cemented Martinez’s place at the top of the grappling food chain. Aged 33, Martinez has suffered a number of losses over the past 4 years. One of the most notable losses came at the hands of then-16 year old, Nicky Ryan. Sharing a similar prodigious path, Ryan is part of the Danaher death squad and comfortably beat Martinez in a Kasai Grappling Tournament. Although he has enjoyed such a storied career thus far, it will be fascinating to see how Martinez progresses in the coming years. Despite wins over some of the greats, his recent record shows a level of vulnerability that may be exposed further. Some commentators have criticised the 10th Planet system for these defeats but it remains to be seen when grappling commences in the coming months
What’s caused a recent shake in Geo’s form? Is it a Geo problem or a 10th Planet issue? Let us know below
