When Croatian bare-knuckle boxing champion Marko Martinjak steps into the Trigon, the structural integrity of his own hands is practically the last thing on his mind. For the fearsome striker, the absolute priority is delivering punches with maximum, unmitigated force—an uncompromising approach that has successfully propelled him to an impressive 13-2 career record.
On November 14, Martinjak will put his reputation and his hard-earned skills on the line once again as he defends his BKB bridgerweight title against England’s own Matty Askin at London’s iconic O2 Arena. Despite stepping into hostile territory to face a prominent British challenger in front of a predominantly home-crowd audience, the 35-year-old Zagreb native insists that he expects to feel completely at home under the bright lights of the English capital.
"It’s in England, but I’m at home there. This is my second fight at the O2," Martinjak said, exuding the quiet confidence of a seasoned warrior who has seen and conquered it all within the combat sports world.
Widely known across the international combat sports landscape by his menacing monikers "The Emperor of Bare Knuckle" and "Marvelous," Martinjak openly credits his remarkable ascent and sustained dominance to a potent combination of blistering speed, relentless aggression, and an entirely uncompromising offensive style that leaves very little room for backward steps. For him, combat is an exercise in total commitment where hesitation is the ultimate enemy.
"Every punch I want to land is going full throttle. If I hurt my hands, I don’t really care," he stated bluntly, illustrating the fierce mentality required to stand tall in the unforgiving world of bare-knuckle boxing, where bone meets bone without the protective cushion of traditional boxing gloves.
Martinjak’s combat sports journey began long before he ever set foot in the Trigon. He first dipped his toes into the martial arts world by practicing taekwondo at the tender age of six. As he grew older, he briefly explored other athletic avenues, switching to soccer before ultimately discovering his true calling in traditional boxing when he was fourteen years old. Now, nearly three decades after he first began his martial arts training, Martinjak firmly believes that he has successfully navigated the peaks and valleys of his athletic development and has finally reached his absolute competitive prime.
"I think right now I’m in my prime. For a couple of years more, no one is gonna beat me," he declared, setting a high standard for any prospective challengers looking to dethrone him in the near future.
The road to the top, however, was neither smooth nor linear. Unlike his current standing as a celebrated and financially secure champion, Martinjak’s earlier years as a professional boxer were characterized by financial struggle and uncertainty. He frequently had to grind through difficult periods just to make ends meet. Today, things are markedly different. Thanks to lucrative sponsorships and substantial fight purses earned through his stellar bare-knuckle performances, Martinjak is finally in a position where he can devote himself entirely and exclusively to his training regimen.
"I’m a full-time fighter. I live and breathe boxing," he reflected, noting how the stability has allowed him to sharpen his craft to a razor-sharp edge.
His notable success and status within the upper echelons of European combat sports have also brought him into closer alignment with a true icon of Croatian fighting history: legendary heavyweight Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović. Martinjak’s personal connection to the legendary PRIDE Open Weight Grand Prix Champion dates back to his childhood days, when he was just an aspiring youngster attending Cro Cop’s martial arts seminars in Croatia.
Years later, their paths crossed again under unusual circumstances last year at a local shopping mall. At the time, Martinjak was walking around recovering from a painful broken hand that he had sustained during a grueling bridgerweight title fight. During their chance meeting, Cro Cop extended an unexpected invitation, asking Martinjak to serve as a primary sparring partner for a high-profile, heavily discussed boxing match against Russian MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko.
Although that specific cross-generational bout ultimately never materialized and faded from the immediate sporting calendar, Martinjak remains entirely willing and eager to step up and lend a hand if the matchup is ever miraculously revived by promoters.
"If Mirko needs a sparring partner for Fedor, if that fight happens, I will go train with him," Martinjak affirmed, demonstrating his deep respect and loyalty for the pioneer who paved the way for generations of Croatian fighters.
Beyond successfully defending his championship belt against Askin, Martinjak is eagerly looking forward to representing his homeland before an unusually large and vocal contingent of supporters who plan to make the journey to London. The timing of the November fight card intersects uniquely with the broader sporting calendar, as Croatia’s national soccer team is scheduled to face England in a high-stakes international fixture at nearby Wembley Stadium during the exact same international window. Because of this fortuitous overlap, Martinjak is anticipating a massive turnout, expecting between 100 to 150 personal friends, family members, and passionate national supporters to pack the arena seats and roar for him.
"Representing my country on a big stage is always a privilege," he noted with genuine pride.
Yet, the imposing champion’s journey to the pinnacle of bare-knuckle success was shaped just as much by profound personal adversity as it was by athletic triumph. Before he finally established himself as a dominant force in bare-knuckle boxing, Martinjak experienced a dark and turbulent chapter in his life that included spending approximately three years behind bars in prison. He candidly attributes that difficult period to poor influences, bad company, and disastrous decisions made while he was working as a nightclub security doorman during his youth.
Now a mature family man, happily married with children, Martinjak looks back on those harrowing years not with bitterness, but as harsh, invaluable lessons in patience, humility, and strict self-discipline.
"Everything that is easily earned will easily disappear — quickly. Nothing happens overnight," he reflected, offering a philosophical perspective on how his worldview shifted drastically after he faced the consequences of his past.
Those hard-learned life lessons ultimately helped mold a disciplined, focused athlete capable of orchestrating a remarkable career transformation—evolving from a struggling professional boxing journeyman into an undisputed bare-knuckle champion who holds titles across an astonishing five different weight classes within the sport.
With another high-stakes title defense rapidly approaching on the horizon, Martinjak has absolutely no intention of altering the relentless, high-pressure style that has brought him this far. Armed with his unwavering work ethic and backed by a loyal army of traveling fans, the Croatian knockout artist is ready to write yet another chapter in his storied fighting career.
"Thanks to my friends, my family and my supporters. Watch me on Nov. 14 when I come for another KO," Martinjak said.
