# Richie Martinez ("Boogeyman")

> Black Belt | United States

## Overview

**Name:** Richie Martinez

**Nickname:** Boogeyman

**Belt Rank:** Black Belt

**Nationality:** United States

**Gender:** Male

**Date of Birth:** July 28, 1984 (age 42)


## Bio

The “Boogeyman” moniker belongs to Richie Martinez, a 10th Planet black belt under Eddie Bravo whose unorthodox path from B-boying to elite no-gi grappling produced one of the division’s most feared leg lockers. Raised in Oceanside alongside younger brother Geo Martinez, he entered jiu-jitsu in 2011 after watching Geo tap every opponent at Gracie Nationals as a blue belt, then famously spent his first year commuting weekly from Los Angeles to 10th Planet Vista and drilling at home with his girlfriend—a method that fast-tracked him to blue belt. Under Bravo at the 10th Planet HQ, Martinez sharpened his inverted guard, rubber guard, and heel-hook chains, debuted in MMA in 2013, and earned his black belt at the grand opening of his own 10th Planet Freaks academy in San Diego on January 3, 2015.
## Lineage

- Carlos Gracie (Red Belt)
- Hélio Gracie (Red Belt)
- Carlos Gracie Junior (Coral Belt)
- Jean Jacques Machado (Coral Belt)
- Eddie Bravo (Black Belt)

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**Last Updated:** October 01, 2026

**Data Source:** bjj.space (https://bjj.space/people/richie-martinez)