Rabat – The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), an American Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organization, revealed a few days ago the making of a documentary about Lee Murray, a legendary boxer turned criminal.
The Moroccan-British pugilist was once considered one of the UK’s best MMA fighters, but he became known for his involvement in the robbery of the Securitas Depot in the UK, one of the biggest bank robberies in history.
While Lee Murray had his MMA career cut short due to a stabbing incident, the professional fighter holds notable wins over the UFC’s Jorge Rivera and “Pele” Jose Landi-Jons, with an overall 12 wins in MMA fights.
He lost his last fight against Anderson Silva – currently UFC middleweight champion – before being arrested in 2006 in Rabat as the alleged mastermind of the cash heist in Britain.
His jail term was extended from 10 to 25 years as a criminal penalty due to his foiled attempt to escape from prison.
The heist was an international incident and was widely covered by media around the world.
Murray still has to serve 13 more years in a prison in Tifelt, northwestern Morocco, before embracing his long-awaited freedom.
Born in 1977 in England, of a Moroccan father Ibrahim Lamrani and a British mother Barbara Murray, the former UFC fighter spent the first seven years of his life away from his father who was described by many media outlets as “violent” and “alcoholic.”
In 2018, Lee Murray broke his silence from Moroccan jail in an interview with Elliot Worsell in which he expressed regret over the twists and turns that have dictated the main trajectory of his life.
“I still dream of being the UFC champion. This dream has never left my thoughts. My biggest disappointment is that I could have been [a champion] if I hadn’t ended up in prison,” he said.
Even prior to shooting to fame as a revered MMA fighter, Murray was involved in several criminal cases, such as selling drugs, and he was convicted before turning 18 years old for possession of marijuana and cocaine.
