MMA journalist Ariel Helwani gave his opinion on the classic Tito Ortiz vs Lee Murray street scrap.
Lee Murray only had one UFC match in 2004, but his name is widely known by many UFC fans. He retired that same year but remains famous outside the octagon due to his controversial antics.
His latest act wasn’t just a mere controversy, but a straight-up crime. In 2006, he arranged a bank heist in Kent, England which is the biggest UK bank heist ever. He was arrested in Morocco soon after and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Recently, a Lee Murray documentary was released. It’s about his life and background, giving people details on how a professional mixed martial artist turned into a skilled bank robber.
In the documentary, they also covered a classic story that happened in 2002. After UFC 38 in London, a bunch of MMA veterans were outside a nightclub, includingas Tito Ortiz, Lee Murray, Chuck Liddell, Pat Miletich, and Tony Fryklund.
Due to a small misunderstanding, a huge incident escalated. Former UFC lightweight champion Tito Ortiz tussled with Lee Murray. Many claim that Ortiz got knocked out. But Ortiz always refutes the claim. Chuck Liddell also said that he didn’t see Ortiz got knocked out.
In a recent episode of The MMA Hour, MMA journalist Ariel Helwani was asked by a fan about the Lee Murray documentary, and about this part in particular. The fan doubted the credibility of the documentary and asked Helwani’s opinion.
“We’ve talked about it in the past. You’re right and the documentary is tremendous and I haven’t seen the whole thing just yet. And there is a great part in the first episode about the infamous street fight near the Royal Albert Hall in England…” Helwani said.
He added, “But, who knows? There is a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Clearly, there was a melee. Clearly, there was a fight. Has it been embellished over time? Perhaps. Does it really matter? I guess the thing is that… Tito said he wasn’t knocked out. Others said he got knocked out cold. It’s impossible for me to know. But it does add to the myth.”