Martins started his MMA career in 2011; before that he competed in muay thai, achieving a 34–2 record. He fought only for Brazilian-based promotions such as Jungle Fight and MMA Rocks. With a record of twelve wins and no losses, Martins signed with the UFC. Lucas Martins is managed by Wade Hampel of Big Fight Management.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Martins made his promotional debut on short notice, replacing an injured Justin Salas against Edson Barboza on January 19, 2013 at. Martins had his first defeat due to TKO in the first round. Martins faced Jeremy Larsen, a contestant of , on May 18, 2013, at. Despite taking a significant amount of damage in the first two rounds, Martins knocked Larsen out early in the third round. The performance earned both participants Fight of the Night honors. Martins next dropped from lightweight to bantamweight and faced promotional newcomer Junior Hernandez on September 4, 2013, at. He won the fight via technical submission in the first round. Martins was expected to face Johnny Eduardo on November 9, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 32. However, both fighters were removed from the card due to injury. Martins was expected to face Bryan Caraway on February 22, 2014, at UFC 170. However, Caraway pulled out of the bout citing and injury and was replaced by UFC newcomer Aljamain Sterling. Martins was expected to face Jim Alers in a featherweight bout on July 16, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 45. However, Alers pulled out of the bout citing injury and was replaced by Alex White. Martins won the back and forth fight via knockout in the third round. The win also earned him his first Performance of the Night bonus award. Martins faced Darren Elkins on October 25, 2014, at UFC 179. Elkins defeated Martins via split decision. Martins faced Mirsad Bektić on May 30, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 67, replacing Renato Moicano. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. Martins faced Robert Whiteford on April 10, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 86. Martins won the fight via split decision. Subsequently, the UFC elected not to renew Martin's contract – allowing him to sign elsewhere.
Brave CF
After racking a couple of wins in Brazil's regional circuit, Martins signed with Brave Combat Federation. In the promotional debut Martins faced Fabian Galvan at Brave CF 3 and won the bout via Brabo choke in the second round. On April 13, 2018, Martins faced Luan Santiago Carvalho for the interim lightweight championship. Martins was behind in the scorecards coming into the fifth and final round. In the final seconds of the round, Santiago dislocated his elbow when he was taken down by Martins and couldn't continue. Martins became a free agent after fighting out his two-fight contract with Brave, but elected to rapidly sign a new, five-fight contract with the organization. Martins faced Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady for the undisputed lightweight championship at Brave CF 18 on November 16, 2018. Martins injured his left leg when he was taken down by Al-Selwady in the first round and referee stopped the fight. On July 25, 2019, Martins was defeated by Bubba Jenkins at Brave 24 by TKO at 2:48 of the first round by way of unanswered strikes. Jenkins retained the Brave CF Featherweight Championship. Martins was next scheduled to face Felipe Silva at Brave CF 35 on March 28, 2020, but Silva withdrew from the bout and was replaced with Abdul-Rakhman Makhaziev. However, the event has been postponed until a to-be-determined date due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Personal life
Martins owns a gym, Capital da Luta, in São Paulo.
