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LEE MURRAY The British are Coming!
©Marc Wickert All photos copyright
2004 Zuffa LLC As the UK rock band’s name suggests, the bout between Britain’s Lee Murray and Jorge Rivera was The Clash of the middleweights at UFC 46, and it proved to be London Calling the shots. Born in London, England, on November 12, 1977, Lee Murray entered the world of martial arts at the age of 21 by way of Muay Thai boxing. And just five years later, Murray debuted in the Octagon with a first round victory over Jorge Rivera. "After six months of Thai boxing, I met Dexter Casey, and after about another six months Dexter got me my first fight in the Mixed Martial Arts. So I continued to compete in MMA," says Lee Murray. "I was happy with the win at UFC 46: Super Natural. It showed a lot of people that I’m not just a one-dimension fighter. It also showed people that I have a ground game and that I’m not just a striker. I’m not usually happy when I win by submission, but in this case I was happy: especially to win my UFC debut."
Prior to the battle, Lee had stated he wanted to win the fight by knockout, and that he didn’t want to beat Jorge by way of a submission. But Murray says this statement was not to encourage Rivera to think he would be safe on the ground. "I didn’t want to mislead him to nothing. I really thought he was going to stand with me and strike, but it seems he didn’t want any business striking with me. I think he thought if he could take me to the floor he would have an easier night’s work than standing there toe-to-toe with me. I think Rivera thought the only way I could beat him was standing. So he took me to the ground thinking I couldn’t beat him there. But he was proven wrong." As mentioned previously at knucklepit.com (see UFC 46: Super Natural article), Murray entered the Octagon dressed as what appeared to be Con Air’s Garland Greene. However, Lee says it was a combination of Con Air and Silence of the Lambs. "It was a bit of both really. The suit was like Greene’s in Con Air, but the mask was more like a Hannibal Lecter mask. It was my idea and a lot of Americans appeared to like it, so that was good. Everything seemed to go well for me that night." At six-feet-two, Murray is one of the tallest middleweights in UFC, and the height advantage adds to his lethal knockout ability: something Lee has demonstrated in England where he is a national hero. At UFC 46 it was suggested Lee would move up to light-heavyweight division, but Murray says he intends winning more battles as a middleweight first. "I’ll probably have a few more fights at 185, at middleweight, and then I’ll decide if I’m going to go up. At the moment I’m concentrating on the middleweight belt. That’s what I’m after. So I’m just going to focus on that for now."
After Lee Murray’s victory in UFC 46, word spread that there was strong ill feeling between Tito Ortiz and Murray. The rumour was further fuelled by the verbal exchange between Lee standing in the Octagon and Tito seated in the audience. "That goes back to a street fight in London one night. We ended up fighting in the street and that was it really." And the belt went to Lee? "Yeah, that belt went to me," laughs Murray. Lee is not sure when his next Octagon appearance will be, as he is in the middle of negotiating contracts now, but he says he could be back for UFC 48. Whether he competes in other MMA events will depend on his signing with UFC. Due to Lee Murray’s exciting brand of MMA and his successful record, he has a large following of fans in the UK, and that fan base is rapidly spreading worldwide. "I’ve always had a good following in England and I always draw the crowd as well. When I fought Pele I packed out the Wemberley Conference Centre. I sold 25,000 pounds’ worth of tickets, so yeah, I’ve got a big following in England, which is good." Another British MMA fighter Lee says to watch out for is Jean Silva, a former Brazilian resident now living in England and training with Murray at his London Shootfighters gym. "I can see him slipping into the UFC pretty soon. And also my training partner James Zikic," says Murray.
Lee Murray’s UFC 47: It’s On! Predictions Chuck Liddell v Tito Ortiz: "That is a pretty tough one to call. It’s going to be a good fight…I see it being a good fight…Be a tough one to call. Obviously I’d be wanting Chuck to knock his head off," laughs Murray. "I hope Chuck does. I hope he knocks his head off. I can’t see Tito wanting to stand with him. Tito’s going to want to get him to the floor as quickly as possible. So if Chuck can stay on his feet and fight his game, then Chuck can knock him out." Tim Sylvia v Andrei Arlovski: "Tim. Tim’s a good friend of mine. I’m rooting for Tim. Knock his head off, Tim." Will we be seeing Lee Murray v Tito Ortiz in the Octagon, down the track? "Yeah, more than likely. As long as I keep winning my fights, that’s what I’ve got to do isn’t it? Concentrate on winning all my fights. Obviously then we’ll meet later on," says Lee.
For more on Lee Murray www.teammurray.co.uk For info on UFC 47: It’s On! www.ufc.tv For the Ultimate Street Defence Manual click here
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