lucas martins
UFC featherweight Lucas Martins

Twenty-seven-year-old Chute Boxe fighter Lucas “Mineiro” Martins (15-3) will return to action in April when he faces fellow featherweight Robert Whiteford (12-3) at UFC Fight Night 86: Rothwell vs. Dos Santos in Croatia.

Like other Chute Boxe fighters, Martins is known as a finisher and has stopped 14 of the 15 opponents he’s beaten within the distance; 10 by knockout and 4 by submission.

Martins had been on a three-fight winning streak inside the Octagon prior to dropping a controversial split decision to Darren Elkins in Oct. 2014. The Montes Claros native also dropped a short notice fight to Mirsad Bektic last May in his most recent outing.

Whiteford is also coming off a loss and both guys will be looking to get back on track in climbing the 145-pound ladder. We were able to catch up with Lucas this week to get his thoughts on the upcoming fight.

Please tell us about who you are fighting and when?

I am fighting Robert Whiteford in the UFC April 10.

What do you know about your opponent?

He is a Judo player and a very good athlete. He is a strong UFC vet.

How is your training going for this fight?

I train hard year around, and now I am training even harder! We developing my gameplan and I can not wait to get into the Octagon again.

Who is training you and who are your training partners?

I train Muay Thai with Diego Lima at Chute Boxe, I train Jiu Jitsu with Giugo. I have great training partners; Thomas Almeida, Felipe Sertanejo, at Chute Boxe.

What are you looking forward to about fighting outside of Brazil?

I will fight anywhere. Croatia its a beautiful place and I want to do a show for all Croatia people. It will be an amazing fight.

Anyone you want to thank or shout out?

I want to thank my family, my wife, and my team that make me better every day and help me in all of my fights, my coaches, my training partners, and my manager Wade Hampel at Big Fight Management.

What are you going to do with the money if you win?

I will put in my bank, use in my next training camp, my family and just this.

Be sure to follow Lucas Martins on Twitter at @LucasMineiroMMA and on Facebook.

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