JJT: Can you start by giving us a little background on yourself?
My name is Estevan Martinez. I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I’m a 21 year old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt under Kalo Lopez, at Clube De Jiu Jitsu Pitbull. I started wrestling in high school and fell in love with it. After high school I felt I had to feed my passion and that led me to finding this martial art. I love the sport part of jiu jitsu and I often travel the surrounding states for competition.
JJT: How long have you been training for?
I have been grappling 7 years. I did 3 years(seasons) of high school wrestling followed by 4 years of jiu jitsu with kalo and team clube de jiu jitsu Pitbull.
JJT: Have you ever considered quitting? Why or why not?
I never thought about quitting ever because jiu jitsu has given me the confidence I needed. I have seen the effectiveness of Jiu Jitsu. Now I want to learn all the groundwork and techniques.
JJT: What does a typical training camp look like for you before a competition?
A typical training camp for me is everyday practice at my gym. Every day is a tournament at Pitbull. About a month out from a competition I start to go to every bjj class my gym offers. I start to prepare my body for a fight. I want to do a lot of tournaments so I always try to stay ready.
JJT: With all of the training time you put in, how do you balance Jiu-Jitsu with your time off of the mats?
With trying to balance bjj and my time I look at it in the fact that I am trying to balance my life. Every week day I want to train so I wake up early and train in the morning prior to going to work. I try to work as much as possible to pay for tournaments and traveling. the evening I go to the gym to help with kids bjj class followed by a competition class which is usually very intense. At the end of the day I eat, shower, and sleep. I try to keep everything routine. I’m currently looking for any type of sponsorship to help with my jiu jitsu journey.
JJT: Do you usually fight absolute?
I want to do absolute divisions because there’s no pressure on me. I’m not supposed to win and if I win it proves the power of jiu jitsu. Plus I like to be the center of attention.
JJT: What can we expect to see from you in the future?
what you can expect to see from me in the future is simple. Gold medals and highlight videos. I will stay agressive with my jiu jitsu and remain humble as I try to create art through jiu jitsu.
JJT: What advice would you give to all the light weights that are having a hard time in training?
Advice I would give to any light weights having a hard time training. I would tell them to be patient and keep moving and protect yourself. Try to make it a game out of your jiu jitsu and eventually the guy will make a mistake you can capitalize on.
Watch Estevan Martinez Absolute Matches Here:
First Fight
Semi Finals
Finals
