Rory Markham (born March 25, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist and actor who most recently acted alongside Will Smith playing Booker Grassie in the latest addition to the Bad Boys franchise Bad Boys for Life. Formerly, Rory competed in the Welterweight, Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Divisions. A professional competitor since 2003, Markham has formerly competed for the UFC and the IFL.
| Rory Markham | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | March 25, 1982 Oak Lawn, Illinois, United States |
| Residence | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st) |
| Division | Middleweight Welterweight |
| Reach | 71.0 in (180 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Crystal Lake, Illinois, United States |
| Team | Team Curran |
| Years active | 2003-present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 23 |
| Wins | 17 |
| By knockout | 12 |
| By submission | 5 |
| Losses | 6 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Background
editAn experienced martial artist from a young age, Markham began training in Shidokan Karate at the age of six before later transitioning into Kenpo. At the age of 13, Markham began training in Kyokushin and began fighting in full-contact competitions when he was 15, winning all of his matches by knockout despite often being paired against much older opponents. Markham also began competing in boxing at the age of 17, holding an undefeated amateur record of 10–0. Markham later became affiliated with Pat Miletich.[1]
Mixed martial arts career
editEarly career
editIn 2003, Markham made his professional mixed martial arts debut, winning via first-round knockout. Markham would go on to compile a record of 8–2, competing in the regional circuit, before being invited to compete in the International Fight League for the Quad Cities Silverbacks, under his coach at the Miletich Fighting Systems, Pat Miletich.
IFL
editMarkham made his IFL debut at IFL: Legends Championship 2006 on April 29, 2006, against veteran Mike Pyle. Markham won in 44 seconds via knockout.
Markham followed this up with three more wins in the promotion all via KO/TKO over Brad Blackburn, Marcelo Acevedo, and Keith Wisniewski, respectively, before facing future UFC veteran Chris Wilson at the IFL: Championship Final. Markham was handed his first defeated inside of the promotion via TKO in the first round. Markham soon bounced back with two more knockout wins over Pat Healy and Chris Clements, respectively, before being defeated via second-round knockout at the hands of Brett Cooper at the IFL: World Grand Prix Finals.
Post-IFL
editAfter the demise of the IFL, Markham fought for Adrenaline MMA's inaugural event on June 14, 2008, facing veteran Jay Ellis. Markham won via triangle choke submission in the first round.
UFC
editWith an overall 15–4 professional record, Markham was signed by the UFC. Markham made his debut at UFC Fight Night 14 on July 19, 2008, against Canadian Brodie Farber. After almost being finished early on in the fight, Markham knocked out Farber with a head kick. This victory earned him a Knockout of the Night award and was a nominee on Sherdog.com for "Knockout of the Year" and "Comeback of the Year".
In his next appearance, Markham faced British fighter Dan Hardy at UFC 95 on February 20, 2009, in London, England. Markham was knocked out with a left hook in the first round. Markham was then expected to face Martin Kampmann at UFC 108 on January 2, 2010, but pulled out due to a knee injury.[2]
Markham then fought at UFC 111 on March 27, 2010, against Nate Diaz. After Markham was six pounds overweight at the weigh-ins, the fight was made a catchweight bout at 177 pounds (80 kg), and Markham was fined $1,000 as a result. This was significant as it was only the second time a fighter training with the Miletich Fighting Systems did not make weight in 15 years.[3] Markham was defeated via TKO in the first round and was released by the promotion.
Post-UFC
editAfter being released from the UFC, Markham signed with Bellator and was expected to make his promotional debut at Bellator 26 against Steve Carl on August 26, 2010, for a spot in the Season Four Welterweight Tournament. However, Markham pulled out due to not being cleared to fight.
Markham was next expected to face Rudy Bears at Titan FC 18 on May 27, 2011, but withdrew from the fight. Markham was most recently scheduled to fight on June 16, 2012, against Jon Kirk at Battle Xtreme Championship but the fight was cancelled.[2]
Film
editMarkham is a trained actor and member of the Screen Actors Guild. His films include The Death and Life of Bobby Z with Paul Walker and Laurence Fishburne; The Experiment with Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker; Setup with Bruce Willis, 50 Cent, and Ryan Phillippe; and Alex Cross with Tyler Perry and Matthew Fox.
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Film/Television | Role | Other notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Death and Life of Bobby Z | Film | Half-Blood | ||
| 2010 | The Experiment | Film | Wally Ziolkowski | ||
| 2011 | Setup | Film | Markus | ||
| 2012 | Alex Cross | Film | Nonied Soscheck | ||
| 2020 | Bad Boys for Life | Film | Booker Grassie |
Mixed martial arts record
edit| 23 matches | 17 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 12 | 6 |
| By submission | 5 | 0 |
| By decision | 0 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 17–6 | Brian Green | TKO (punches) | XFO 58 | March 20, 2016 | 1 | 1:06 | Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, United States | Middleweight debut. |
| Loss | 16–6 | Nate Diaz | TKO (punches) | UFC 111 | March 27, 2010 | 1 | 2:47 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | Catchweight (177 lb) bout. Markham missed weight. |
| Loss | 16–5 | Dan Hardy | KO (punch) | UFC 95 | February 20, 2009 | 1 | 1:09 | London, England, United Kingdom | |
| Win | 16–4 | Brodie Farber | KO (head kick) | UFC Fight Night 14 | July 19, 2008 | 1 | 1:37 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Knockout of the Night. |
| Win | 15–4 | Jay Ellis | Submission (triangle choke) | Adrenaline MMA 1 | June 14, 2008 | 1 | 1:57 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Loss | 14–4 | Brett Cooper | TKO (punches) | IFL: World Grand Prix Finals | December 29, 2007 | 2 | 1:15 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |
| Win | 14–3 | Chris Clements | TKO (punches) | IFL: 2007 Semifinals | August 2, 2007 | 1 | 1:17 | East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 13–3 | Pat Healy | KO (punches) | IFL: Moline | April 7, 2007 | 3 | 1:47 | Moline, Illinois, United States | |
| Loss | 12–3 | Chris Wilson | TKO (punches) | IFL: Championship Final | December 29, 2006 | 1 | 2:14 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |
| Win | 12–2 | Keith Wisniewski | TKO (corner stoppage) | IFL: World Championship Semifinals | November 2, 2006 | 3 | 4:00 | Portland, Oregon, United States | |
| Win | 11–2 | Marcelo Azevedo | TKO (punches) | IFL: Gracie vs. Miletich | September 23, 2006 | 1 | 3:58 | Moline, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 10–2 | Brad Blackburn | KO (punch) | IFL: Championship 2006 | June 3, 2006 | 2 | 0:23 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 9–2 | Mike Pyle | KO (punch) | IFL: Legends Championship 2006 | April 29, 2006 | 1 | 0:44 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Loss | 8–2 | Trevor Garrett | TKO (punches) | Xtreme Fighting Organization 10 | March 18, 2006 | 1 | 0:47 | Lakemoor, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 8–1 | Brian Green | KO (punch) | Xtreme Fighting Organization 9 | January 28, 2006 | 1 | 0:26 | Lakemoor, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 7–1 | Mike Van Meer | KO (punch) | Extreme Challenge 64 | October 15, 2005 | 1 | 1:48 | Osceola, Iowa, United States | |
| Win | 6–1 | Victor Moreno | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Extreme Challenge 61 | April 22, 2005 | 1 | 4:16 | Osceola, Iowa, United States | |
| Win | 5–1 | Jimmy Boyd | Submission (triangle choke) | Xtreme Fighting Organization 5 | March 19, 2005 | 1 | 2:13 | Lakemoor, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 4–1 | James Warfield | TKO (punches) | Xtreme Fighting Organization 3 | October 2, 2004 | 2 | 1:12 | McHenry, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | Ryan Williams | Submission (triangle choke) | Courage Fighting Championships 1 | July 24, 2004 | 2 | 2:53 | Decatur, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 2–1 | Jason Guida | Submission (armbar) | Xtreme Fighting Organization 2 | June 26, 2004 | 2 | 0:58 | Fontana, Wisconsin, United States | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Kurt Illeman | TKO (cut) | Extreme Challenge 55 | December 5, 2003 | 1 | 1:26 | Lakemoor, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | John Bulger | KO (punches) | Extreme Challenge 54 | October 12, 2003 | 1 | 0:59 | Lakemoor, Illinois, United States |
References
edit- ^ "Rory Markham | Life After Hate". lifeafterhate.org. Archived from the original on 2012-10-23.
- ^ a b "Rory Markham | MMA Fighter Page".
- ^ [1][dead link]
