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.
Background
An experienced martial artist from a young age, Markham began training in Shidokan Karate at the age of six before later transitioning into
Kenpo Karate. 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.
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
In 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
Markham made his IFL debut at 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 . 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 .
Post-IFL
After 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
With 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.
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 , 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.[[1]] Markham was defeated via TKO in the first round and was released by the promotion.
Post-UFC
After being released from the UFC, Markham signed with
Bellator MMA and was expected to make his promotional debut at Bellator 26 against
Steve Carl on August 26, 2010, for a spot in the . 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.
Film
Markham 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
|
|
| 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 | |
Championships and accomplishments
-
Ultimate Fighting Championship
-
UFC.com Awards
-
2008: Ranked #9 Knockout of the Year
-
MMA Fighting
-
2008 #7 Ranked UFC Knockout of the Year
Mixed martial arts record
| Win
|align=center| 17–6
| Brian Green
| TKO (punches)
| XFO 58
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:06
|Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, United States
|
Middleweight debut.
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 16–6
|
Nate Diaz
| TKO (punches)
| UFC 111
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:47
|Newark, New Jersey, United States
|
Catchweight (177 lb) bout. Markham missed weight.
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 16–5
|
Dan Hardy
| KO (punch)
| UFC 95
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:09
| London, England, United Kingdom
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 16–4
|
Brodie Farber
| KO (head kick)
| UFC Fight Night 14
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:37
|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 15–4
| Jay Ellis
| Submission (triangle choke)
| Adrenaline MMA 1
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:57
|Chicago, Illinois, United States
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 14–4
| Brett Cooper
| TKO (punches)
| IFL: World Grand Prix Finals
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 1:15
|Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 14–3
| Chris Clements
| TKO (punches)
| IFL: 2007 Semifinals
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:17
|East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 13–3
| Pat Healy
| KO (punches)
| IFL: Moline
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 1:47
|Moline, Illinois, United States
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 12–3
| Chris Wilson
| TKO (punches)
| IFL: Championship Final
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:14
|Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 12–2
|
Keith Wisniewski
| TKO (corner stoppage)
| IFL: World Championship Semifinals
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 4:00
|Portland, Oregon, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 11–2
| Marcelo Azevedo
| TKO (punches)
| IFL: Gracie vs. Miletich
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 3:58
|Moline, Illinois, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 10–2
|
Brad Blackburn
| KO (punch)
| IFL: Championship 2006
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 0:23
|Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 9–2
| Mike Pyle
| KO (punch)
| IFL: Legends Championship 2006
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 0:44
|Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 8–2
| Trevor Garrett
| TKO (punches)
| Xtreme Fighting Organization 10
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 0:47
|Lakemoor, Illinois, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 8–1
| Brian Green
| KO (punch)
| Xtreme Fighting Organization 9
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 0:26
|Lakemoor, Illinois, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 7–1
| Mike Van Meer
| KO (punch)
| Extreme Challenge 64
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:48
|Osceola, Iowa, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 6–1
| Victor Moreno
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| Extreme Challenge 61
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 4:16
|Osceola, Iowa, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 5–1
| Jimmy Boyd
| Submission (triangle choke)
| Xtreme Fighting Organization 5
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:13
|Lakemoor, Illinois, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 4–1
| James Warfield
| TKO (punches)
| Xtreme Fighting Organization 3
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 1:12
|McHenry, Illinois, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 3–1
| Ryan Williams
| Submission (triangle choke)
| Courage Fighting Championships 1
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 2:53
|Decatur, Illinois, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 2–1
|
Jason Guida
| Submission (armbar)
| Xtreme Fighting Organization 2
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 0:58
|Fontana, Wisconsin, United States
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 1–1
| Kurt Illeman
| TKO (cut)
| Extreme Challenge 55
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:26
|Lakemoor, Illinois, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 1–0
| John Bulger
| KO (punches)
| Extreme Challenge 54
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 0:59
|Lakemoor, Illinois, United States
|
External links
