The Top MMA Stories of the Decade: The Crimes of Lee Murray

Sherdog named the tale of Lee Murray the #7 MMA story of the decade:

7. Lee Murray (2002-Present)

If you can’t get enough of prizefighting and crime stories, the idea of a talented puncher wrapped up in one of the biggest money heists in history should be enough to completely arrest your attention. And it did: Lee Murray’s hop from mid-card attraction to antihero seized headlines from ESPN, Sports Illustrated and a full-length book, “Heist,” which documents Murray’s (alleged) master plan to walk away with over $92 million in bank robbery winnings. He fled to Morocco; he was thrown in prison; he walked out of prison; he bought tacky, gold-plated furnishings; he inspired a kind of perverse reverence among observers who had to admire his audacity. Murray is not the sport’s only personality, but he’s perhaps the only one worth making a movie about. And that’s coming soon.

If you haven’t already seen it, in the full entry is ESPN 360’s classic segment on Murray and the heist. I’ve also included the full video of his epic bout against Anderson Silva from Cage Rage.

The guy may be a criminal mastermind, but in his hey day he was a very talented MMA fighter. Damn shame he threw it all away.

Nate Wilcox

Nate Wilcox is the founding editor of BloodyElbow.com. As such he has hired every editor and writer to work for the site. Wilcox’s writing for BE is known for its emphasis on MMA history, the evolution of fighting techniques and strong opinions. Wilcox developed the SBN MMA consensus rankings which were featured in USA Today from 2009 to 2011. Before founding BE, Wilcox was a political operative working for such figures as Senators John Kerry and Mark Warner and an early political blogger. He is the co-author of Netroots Rising, a history of the political blogosphere from 2003 to 2007. Wilcox also hosts the Let It Roll podcast on music history for the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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