For Poppies Martinez, it was supposed to be his first taste of the big show. Instead, the WEC and PFC veteran brawler was forced to withdraw just one week before his undercard match against Isaiah Hill at Strikeforce “Carano vs. Cyborg” on Aug. 15 in San Jose, Calif., after a car accident left one of his children seriously injured.
Martinez’s four-year-old son William was ejected in the single car accident. He is in stable condition, according to his father, but remains in a coma at an area hospital.
“I just want the MMA world to pray for my son,” said an emotional Martinez. “We have been praying to God and hope others will do the same.”
Two of the fighter’s other children were in the vehicle as well, but suffered only minor injuries, as did his niece.