With an impressive MMA record of 10-1 and an IFL record
of 4-0, Silverbacks' fighter Rory Markham is fast becoming 'the'
welterweight to beat. And at the IFL 2006 World Team Finals in
Connecticut on December 29, Rory plans to add an extra notch to his
belt.
For this interview, he is hanging out with another fighter who also
possesses an outstanding MMA record. "We just got done training.
I'm with my heavyweight teammate, Ben Rothwell, getting a bite to
eat," says Markham.
It's business as usual in Bettendorf, Iowa, now that Rory is through
celebrating Thanksgiving Day. "It was my last chance to eat a
lot: I had about four helpings of turkey, and I really spread them out
through the night. I had one dinner with my family, one dinner over at
my girlfriend's house, another little dinner after that, and I
finished off with my traditional turkey sandwich in the middle of the
night. There was a lot of sleeping, but I didn't really booze it up
too much on Thanksgiving - I was planning to, but it just didn't work
out."
When Rory does have a drink, he tends to wet the whistle of his Irish
heritage and partake in a pint of Guinness, which he says goes down
smoothly, and it puzzles him why more people haven't caught on to
sipping the 'mother's milk' of Dublin.
It's not just his preference for the world-famous stout that Markham
has no doubts about. Even as a kid he knew exactly what his calling in
life was: "I've never had another dream. This is it. I'm living
my first dream ever since I was a child. If mixed martial arts hadn't
come on the scene, I would have been walking around the world picking
fights, trying to find someone in the world to fight. When I finally
saw MMA come on the board, I was like, 'Thank you, God: You gave me an
outlet.'"
Rory, you're originally from Chicago,
Illinois. Did you get into any of the blues music there?
"I'm more into the Irish punk stuff - Dropkick Murphys and
whatnot. I'll definitely sit down one day when I'm older and enjoy the
blues scene with a glass of wine, but it's a bit too slow for me right
now.
"Where I grew up in the south side of Chicago, if I'd listened to
the blues, guys there would have wanted to fight me and I sure would
have wanted to be in that. They would have turned around right
away."
When did you move to Bettendorf?
"About three and a half years ago. It was just a natural
progression for me to train at Pat Miletich's. A year or two before
that I was kickboxing and boxing, knowing that I was always going to
make the move down to Iowa. And that was it for me."
Were you surprised with the way Renzo
Gracie's Pitbulls came out so aggressively on September 23?
"It's funny you should ask me: Ben and I were just talking about
that. It was our game plan to come out and be the aggressors and wait
for them to break. It seems it was their game plan too. So it was like
two heads clashing - that's what happened. Some things went our way
and others didn't. We'll take that and put it in our arsenal and be
more dangerous next time."
Rory Markham vs. Keith
Wisniewski
You defeated Marcelo
Azevedo at the end of round one, but a lot happened in that round,
didn't it?
"Yeah, I guess it did. The more I watch it, the more I respect
the pace we were going at. There's one point in the fight where he
threw me into an ankle lock, and I was midway; I think I was going to
tap and I thought, 'I'm going to let him break it and see where we go
from there. I've still got my right foot; I've still got my right
hand; I'll be able to knock him out.'
"I was just keen as ice and I knew he wasn't going to be able to
withstand my power. So regardless, I'd be able to keep going in there
with a broken ankle and still do what I do."
You are in the movie Death
and Life of Bobby Z with Pat Miletich and Robbie Lawler. Are you guys
in any scenes with Chuck Liddell?
"No, and I didn't get to hang out with Chuck on the set, but Ben
Rothwell made a cameo in it - he was actually a member of Chuck's
'Arian Brotherhood' in the movie, so he got to hang out with Chuck
and... [A waitress starts talking to Markham].
What's her name, Rory?
"I don't know. I was just going to ask her. ['You know what I'm
doing over here? I'm doing an interview.'] But I enjoyed the
whole movie-making experience: It was fun, and it's something . I
actually want to make that transition, eventually, when I'm done
fighting. The thing about it is, with fighting, it can be everybody's
dream, but there are a certain few who can do it. It's kind of like
saying, 'Hey, pick up the baseball bat and be a major league player.'
"With acting, there are probably a lot of people who can do it. I
think, being in the entertainment field, even if it's fighting, then
that's what it is - an entertainment business; it could be a natural
progression for me. I thought it could definitely be a second home for
me."
Will the The Death and Life of Bobby Z be
showing in movie theatres?
"No, the red carpet will be rolled out at Blockbusters. But the
fight scenes were great because Pat choreographed them."
Can you give a brief rundown of your bout
against Keith Wisniewski at Portland, please?
"I knew what he was going to do, but I couldn't avoid it. And it
sounds kinda shitty on my skills because I did know what he was going
to do, but I really couldn't nullify it. The first round he was doing
a lot of counterpunching, and then he finally got me to the ground,
which is where he wanted it the whole time for the two rounds. And I
just wasn't making the effort to get back to my feet.
"Finally, when I readjusted, he got me to the ground again. And
in the third round, I knew no matter what, if I wasn't able to get up,
the decision would go to him. So I really had an action-packed round,
that third round. Any educated fan can watch it and know how many
times I hit him and see his head bobbing all over the ring.
"It's just something that had to happen. Unfortunately I couldn't
get the KO, but I got the TKO because at the end of the round I hit
him with a right hand and he was pretty much lying on the referee's
chest, and I knew it was over. I had a feeling that I had such a
strong third round that they were going to give me overtime - it was a
ten-eight round which evens up the score cards and gives us two points
each. I knew they were going to give me an extra round and I'm
conditioned to the gills, so I was ready for it and he wasn't.
"It was cool: I've always wanted a 'No mas' like Leonard and
Duran; whether he's had his 'No mas', I've got mine."
Rory Markham wins by TKO in Portland
Although you're very
capable on the ground, it appears you tend to favor the toe-to-toe
action. Is that the case?
"Always; I mean, who doesn't? People watched Mike Tyson
because he's a knockout puncher. People wanted to see that knockout.
That's the violence that's inherent in all of us. Everybody wants to
see blood, whether they like it or not - you can't look away from a
train wreck. I implore anyone to give it a shot.
"That's what the knockout brings to MMA: It's like watching a
train wreck - it excites everyone. Everyone can identify with a KO. At
present, not everyone can identify with a submission as easily as they
can with a knockout. And if I can appeal more to the masses, it should
get me paid more. I'd be lying if I said that's not part of why I do
it."
Will Chris Wilson want to stand and bang
with you?
"I hope... You know, a lot of guys said they were prepared to,
and by the end of the first round they're usually shooting laces. He
seems nice and long, and should be able to keep me at bay with his
reach. And if he does, I'll be ready to make the adjustments, and try
to get him out of there."
With both of you being pretty volatile
fighters, is there any way your match will go the distance?
"No. There isn't any way. I'm not going to let that happen this
fight."
Who are you tipping out of Carlos Newton and
Renzo Gracie?
"Renzo: I just like the guy so much, and if you can beat Pat
Miletich, you can beat anybody in the world."
What do you think about the announcement
that there's going to be a Russian team based in Chicago?
"Come on: That's my f**kin' turf! Those guys... I can't wait to
fight that bunch. I mean, I moved to Iowa because this is the best
place in the world to train, but Chicago's still my home. So they're
in for a rude awakening."
So you're saying they should keep off the
streets of Chicago?
"Right. That's my town. Put that out there right now: That's my
turf! I can't believe they'd throw a team in there. But I'm ready. I'm
fired up for that."
You're taking it personally, Rory?
"I just finished working out and I'm ready to do some more
f****kin miles. I'm gonna strap a Red Bear to the back of my ass
and make it eat shit all night!"
[Slight pause here to regroup]
Rory, is there anything you'd like to add?
"Ah, I just want to thank the fans; if it weren't for them, I
probably wouldn't be fighting the way I do. Maybe I can't say that
because I really do enjoy it so much - getting hit in the face - but I
do like giving them a good show.
"And I always like to thank my mom because she's the one who's
always honestly been there for me from the beginning. A lot of moms
say, 'Don't do that - you're going to hurt yourself.' Not my mom:
She's like, 'This is your dream. You've got to pursue it because
that's what's going to make you happy.' For that, I'm always thankful.
"And I'm always thankful to another guy who's helped me out: He's
like a father to me and his name is Rich Sumner; and Joe Gold (Full
Contact Fighter); Fairtex; Pat Miletich, always - without him, I
wouldn't be half the fighter I am, and I cannot put into words how
much that man has done for me; my manager, Monte Cox; and all my
teammates - we're all the reason why we're as good as we are - because
we make each other better, and there's not an easy fight in the
room."
Rory Markham ready for
IFL Finals in Connecticut
Rory Markham's stats:
Nickname: Rory
MMA record: 12-2-0
Division: Welterweight
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 6' 0"
Date of birth: 25 March, '82
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
Home: Chicago, Illinois
Team: Silverbacks
Coach: Pat Miletich
For more on Rory Markham: www.ifl.tv.
There’s
no mistaking a Rory Markham interview: He’s always wired to 240 volts
and says what he wants to say, regardless of where he is. And it’s
also always a ton of fun to catch up with him.
However,
this time there appears to be an echo on the line when Rory answers his
cell phone: “I’m actually at some fights right now, but let’s do
it (the interview). I’m in a bathroom in Chicago. One of my buddies,
Jim McCarvill, is fighting, so I’ll be helping him out. He just got
started in the game and I’m trying to help him out by adding a little
expertise, if you want to call it that,” says Markham.
Ben
Rothwell previously mentioned that Rory had an eye injury, and would be
unable to fight for the Silverbacks against the Anacondas on February
2nd. Rory confirms this: “Well the doctor said it was impact induced
and that it was due to the trauma on the eye. So I have a hole in my
retina. It’s an outpatient procedure – real simple laser surgery.
“But
he couldn’t, in his right mind, clear me for the fight (against Jay
Hieron), because it could turn into a retinal tear, which eventually can
lead to retinal separation and blindness – obviously ending my
fighting career. So I’m very lucky I caught it: My sight is first
priority.”
Rory
says the surgery, scheduled for Friday, is expected to take an hour or
two. After the operation, he will be able to practice technique at the
gym, but contact sparring and grappling will be no-nos for the following
month, and he says it will give him a much-needed break from his
heavy-duty training.
Steve Rusk working takedowns with the guys
& grappling/throwing dummy
Rory,
Jon-Michael Graham sent through some photos he took of you and Ryan
McGivern training together. Is Ryan your main training partner?
“I
have different ‘main’ training partners for every aspect of my game:
Ryan would definitely be my main partner for wrestling - he gives me
hell on the ground. And when I stand up I like to go with guys like Rob
Lawler, Spencer Fisher… guys like Matt Hughes, I really get good work
with on the ground. I try to go with the guy I’m weaker than, in each
specific area of the game.”
I
get the feeling you and Ben Rothwell are pretty much on the same
wavelength; is that the case?
“Yeah,
absolutely. You’re talking about one driven individual there. He makes
no secret of where he’s going and what his plans are: He’s very
forthright, and I respect that about him, even though at times it can be
a little testing on the patience. But you’ve just got to admire a guy
like that who is as strong as his convictions and has the foresight to
tell people, ‘Hey listen, I’m going to be a champion, and this is
how I’m going to get there.’”
Will
Ben Uker be taking your spot against the Anacondas’ Jay Hieron?
“You
know, that I don’t know; I can’t comment on that because I won’t
really know for sure until I talk to Pat (Miletich) tonight.”
Will
it be hard for you being a spectator for that bout?
“Always,
I’d much rather be in there than sidelined.”
Ben
Rothwell was telling me about his interest in model rockets: What are
your hobbies?
“Movies,
man: I can quote any line from most any movie. That’s my passion and
hopefully I’m going to make the transition over into that – one day.
I’d definitely say it’s a hobby, passion, and interest of mine.
“It’s
one of my outlets: We live a monk’s life, so going to the movies and
getting some popcorn… [There is much noise in the background now and
Rory is obviously back in the public area of the arena. He talks
politely to a fan, “I’m doing an interview at the moment, sorry.”]
Ryan
McGivern and Rory Markham
Will
your next bout be against Ken Shamrock’s Lions?
“Yes,
and I’ll be fighting Pat Healy… And I’ll have a little time to
prepare… I’ll be very fresh. We have to fight so frequently, and
I’m more of a four-fights-a-year kind of fighter, but right now, I
might as well fight seven times and get better and get that experience,
so when I do win the belt, I can sit back and say I put my work in, and
my record shows it.”
What
do you know about Pat Healy?
[“I’m
doing an interview at the moment, sorry.”]
“I’m
sorry, man, there are a lot of people here.”
No
worries, Rory. What do you know about Pat Healy?
“I
don’t know much about Pat – I know he’s an all-round guy. I hope
he prepares real well because I know I’m going to be prepared. I’ll
be excited for that one.”
You’re
throwing down the gauntlet?
“Absolutely;
I’m ready for war and I’ll be nice and rested, and ready to throw it
down. I’ll just be pissed and nasty.”
[Nothing
fires Rory up more than talking about the Russian IFL team being based
in his hometown, Chicago.]
After
that you have the Red Bears. Are you looking forward to taking on
Chicago’s home team?
“You
bet your ass I am. It pisses me off…I’ve definitely got a bone to
pick with that team - all joking aside.”
You’re
a good man, Rory. Last question: Is there anything you’d like to add?
“I’ve
got to apologize to my fans, and next time I’ll be able to come back
healthy – this (the operation) is something I need to do to protect
the longevity of my career, so if they can just bear with me for one
fight, I’ll be back for another one and I’ll get a spectacular win
because of my rest.”
Ryan
McGivern doing takedown of Rory Markham: Why is Rory laughing?
For
more on Rory Markham and the IFL: www.ifl.tv.
