One of Guam’s rising MMA stars, Roque Martinez (11-4-2) will be back in the octagon this coming Sunday, Oct. 15, for a date with big Frenchman Jérôme “Geronimo” Le Banner (3-2-0) in a heavyweight matchup at the elite RIZIN Fighting World Grand Prix 2017 in Fukuoka, Japan.

“They called me about two weeks ago and I was ready,” a confident Martinez said. “I’ve been training hard – my opponent is a big name kickboxer and has a lot of experience,” added Martinez, who trains and fights with Spike 22 and Steel Athletics.

In essence, a call to fight at RIZIN is like a call-up to the big leagues of MMA. This will be another opportunity for Martinez to continue a great run of victories since his last loss in July 2011, falling by TKO in a four-round brawl to Saipan’s Kelvin “The Big Hit” Fitial at Pacific X-treme Combat 24 in Manila.

In defeat, Martinez suffered a leg injury and almost considered hanging it up after two leg surgeries, a steel plate and plenty of rehab derailed his path back to the octagon. “After the loss and injury in 2011, I almost thought about giving it up, but that was the turning point. Training hard, getting back in the gym motivated me,” Martinez told The Guam Daily Post.

A return to the octagon in March 2013 with a three-round unanimous decision win over Myo Lassiter in PXC 36 served as a notice that Martinez had plenty left in the tank. From there, he rattled off five straight wins, capped off by avenging his 2011 loss with a three-round unanimous decision victory over Fitial in PXC 54 at the University of Guam Calvo Field House on July 8, 2016.

A draw (majority) at Top FC12 in Seoul, South Korea to Sang Soo Lee in July 2013 was a slight bump in the road, but Martinez bounced back with another unanimous decision win over Jaideep Singh at DEEP Cage Impact in July of this year, earning him the Japan DEEP Cage Impact heavyweight title and notice as one of the Asian region’s top heavyweight contenders.

This brings us to this weekend’s fight against Le Banner, 44, who is a "hulk," listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 265 pounds. Although his record in his thus far short MMA career is only 3-2, Le Banner is an elite kickboxer with a lifetime 81-22-2 record in the sport, holding multiple world championship titles in Muay Thai, kickboxing, pro wrestling and karate, and is a fan favorite with a cult-like following in Japan.

Martinez is a rock from "the rock," packing 260 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame and is built to last, with six of his last nine fights having gone the distance. Martinez's toughness and endurance, as well as his ability to withstand pain, are sure to work into his strategy against the towering Frenchman.

When asked if his opponent’s size or elite kickboxing skills will change the way he approaches the fight, Martinez shared that neither will affect him too much, adding, “I don’t mind standup – I’ll fight my game, keep the pressure on and try to keep him going backwards,” said Martinez.

Martinez, 31, who may be entering into the latter reaches of his career, recognizes that each fight is a big one from here on out as he climbs the MMA ladder, with each good performance opening the door to more high-profile opponents and fights. “This is definitely a step up, a big opportunity,” says Martinez on getting the call to fight at RIZIN Grand Prix in Japan.

Martinez wants to thank all his fans and especially his family, fiancé Ayesha and his daughter Amaya. Special thanks also to Calvo Insurance for supporting him as a sponsor and as his employer allowing him the ability to train and compete at such a high level. He also wishes to thank his sponsors: Paradise Fitness, Coffee Slut, Fatboy Slim and his family at Spike 22 and Steel Athletics.