The fighter Dana White called a ‘legit gangster’ won once in the UFC before pulling off a $92 million robbery

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One UFC fighter became well known despite only ever fighting in the Octagon once.

It’s always tough to tell where a fighter’s career might go, but there are plenty of stories about “what if” fighters who left fans wondering what could have been.

Zabit Magomedsharipov was one of those fighters. His decision to walk away while still in his prime left fans wondering how far he could have gone at featherweight.

There was another name that stood out, even if his record across 12 professional fights wasn’t anything special.

But what made him interesting were the stories around him, including an alleged street fight with a UFC legend that added to his mystique.

Lee Murray’s one and only UFC fight came on this day in 2004

By 2006, Lee Murray’s MMA career was already over following a stabbing incident.

That same year, his life took a major turn when he was arrested and later convicted for organising the Securitas depot robbery, the biggest cash heist in British history, with around $92 million stolen.

Murray received an initial ten-year prison sentence, which was later increased to 25 years after an escape attempt. His single UFC appearance happened on this day back in 2004.

Murray opened the main card at UFC 46 in Las Vegas, an event headlined by Randy Couture defending his light heavyweight belt against Vitor Belfort.

He made a quick impression by submitting Jorge Rivera in under two minutes using a triangle armbar.

Due to visa problems and ongoing legal issues back home, Murray’s UFC run was cut short. His final MMA fight saw him take on Anderson Silva for the Cage Rage middleweight title.

Dana White recalls meeting Lee Murray soon after his career-ending stabbing

Dana White told a story on Paddy Pimblett’s podcast back in 2022 about seeing Lee Murray not long after the stabbing that ended his fighting career.

White noted that someone he knew changed completely after an attempt on their life, but said that wasn’t the case for Murray.

“Days after Lee Murray got stabbed, he’s walking around this f—— event with all the stitches still in him and everything’s still fresh and was walking around acting like he did when I’d see him when he’d fought Tito [Ortiz] in the street,” he said. “Lee Murray’s one of the most legit f—— gangsters of all time. He really is.”