Who is former UFC welterweight Rory Markham and why was he arrested in 2013?
Rory Markham is a former professional mixed martial artist and actor. With just three fights under his belt inside the Octagon, it isn't surprising that the current generation of fans isn't particularly familiar with Rory Markham's name.
In fact, Markham is now more popular as an actor, having featured in the latest edition of the Bad Boys franchise, Bad Boys for Life, alongside Will Smith. Markham started his professional fighting career back in 2003, and his last fight was back in 2016.
Markham competed in three different weight classes throughout his career, namely welterweight, middleweight, and light heavyweight. He made his UFC debut in 2008 against Brodie Farber and spectacularly knocked out his opponent with a head kick knockout.
However, after shooting to fame on his debut, Rory Markham was ousted from the UFC roster after back-to-back losses against Dan Hardy and Nate Diaz respectively. His last fight was against Brian Green at XFO 58, which he won by TKO in the first round.
In 2013, Rory Markham was arrested in Chicago, Illinois, for Domestic Battery. He was held at the Cook County Sheriff's Department of Corrections. Earlier in the same year, he was arrested in Iowa on Felony Assault charges. However, he was later released on bail.
Rory Markham gets involved in a spat between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz
Rory Markham was recently in the news when his name got dragged into a heated Twitter exchange involving Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz. Citing his fight with Markham, Diaz talked about how he climbed two weight classes on a day's notice to fight Markham. In response, McGregor repeated his famous line 'Who the f**k is that guy' about Rory Markham.
Note: The tweets below contain explicit language.
Markham hasn't fought since 2016 and has a professional record of 17-6. Nate Diaz is scheduled to take on welterweight contender Leon Edwards at UFC 262. Diaz's last fight was against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244 back in November 2019. He lost the fight via doctor's stoppage.