5K Exclusive Interview with Rory Markham: "I fight with the fans in mind."

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Rory Markham is one interesting and diverse dude. Fighting in one of the deepest divisions in the sport's premiere promotion, his success hinges on his willingness to study, work hard, and improve but his training transcends that of a guy sweating in a gym. While that work is vital and a big part of his regiment, Markham sets himself apart by studying people who have been successful in a wide range of areas. He applies their ingredients to his own quests whether it be inside the octagon or in front of a movie camera. Acting is a profession that he plans to pursue more seriously in time but his short-term aspiration is to play the role of UFC welterweight champion.

We talked to Markham by telephone and discussed his upcoming fight with Nate Diaz, training with Pat Miletich, and putting on a great show for the fans.

FiveKnuckles- What are your thoughts on your upcoming opponent, Nate Diaz?

Rory Markham- He's a lanky striker and a great jiu-jitsu guy, a very long opponent with good submissions. With lanky guys you always have to look out for any kind of front headlock, guillotine stuff, and triangles. I'm very aware of that. Also, he's real busy on the feet so it's just a matter of not getting frustrated with him. Knowing that I might get touched a few times, I can't get out of my game plan and I have to know that my mind set is proper.

FiveKnuckles- Just a few months ago, he made weight at 155 and this fight is taking place at welterweight. Do you think that could be a factor?

Rory Markham- Yeah, I've been saying that in a lot of my interviews. He just fought Maynard at 155 not too many months ago. In order to go up to '70 appropriately and do it in the right manner is to take on weight that's going to be yours forever. You need to put on permanent pounds, the kind of weight that's going to be harder to take off than just this false weight of water or whatever kind of bulk. I heard he walks around in the 80s and gets up to 190 or whatever. We all walk around nice and heavy between the fights but that doesn't mean that he can put any real mass in the time it took to get from Maynard to me. I don't think it's enough time to put on the kind of weight that's conducive to 170lb. strength.

FiveKnuckles- Pat Miletich is a legend in the sport. What does it mean to you to train with a guy like that and the camp that you guys have there?

Rory Markham- It's humbling. Every day we meet at 10:00 in the morning for an hour long session for strategy and to work on things and he does things with such ease that it humbles you. You kind of scratch your head and say "man, do I look that good when I try to do that, when I'm trying to replicate what he's doing, or do I just walk around with two brick feet?"  On paper, Miletich has trained more champions than any other trainer out there and just because he hasn't been at every UFC or doesn't get into the limelight as much as he used to doesn't take away from the fact that he's still the #1 trainer, on paper, for mma. I can absolutely attest to that when I work with him every morning and I know that he brings so many new angles. I'm only just tapping the source of all of his knowledge. I think I've learned probably about 10% of what he knows. It's a humbling experience.

FiveKnuckles- Your last fight against Dan Hardy was a tough one. Now he's the #1 contender so the loss doesn't seem to set you back. Where do you think you stand and what do you think you need to do to get in the race?

Rory Markham- The loss to Hardy had a lot to do with my health. In all my fights I think everyone has seen me take more of a punch than that but at the same time I'm really happy that he kept winning consistently and he's doing well for himself because obviously, like you said, it takes away some of the sting of my loss. What do I have to do to get back? It's simple. I have to win fights. This fight, obviously Nate isn't ranked in the 170lb. division but he's a name and winning this fight will put me back on the radar and let the fans know that I'm here and in my next fight we can assess where I rank among the welterweights.

FiveKnuckles- Speaking of letting the fans know where you stand, this fight has been chosen as one of the prelims that will air on Spike TV. Does it mean something to you to have this opportunity to showcase your skills?

Rory Markham- Absolutely. I've always felt a responsibility to the UFC and also a responsibility to the fans to put on a great fight, a great show so the more I can reach the happier I am. I don't like fighting in preliminary bouts and not being seen. I'm out there to entertain and I take a lot of pride in that so I think it's good for both the fans and myself.

FiveKnuckles-  How do you see this St. Pierre vs. Hardy fight playing out?

Rory Markham- For me it's impossible for Hardy to win. He doesn't have the wrestling to beat St. Pierre and that's really what it's going to come down to. St. Pierre's striking is phenomenol too and I think he can literally beat Hardy wherever he wants. I think he's at a point right now where he's challenging himself and it's not so much about opponents. After Matt Serra I think he learned his lesson. I admire GSP. He learns lessons quick. It takes me like 3 losses to learn that it's not the worst thing to have to shoot a takedown when you get rocked. He learns lessons fast so I think he's motivated and unless he goes out and slips on something it's going to be a very hard night for Hardy.

FiveKnuckles- You were inspired by action movies at a young age. Were there particular movies or characters that inspired you?

Rory Markham- Like anybody else, I was always inspired by the Rockys and all that stuff. For me, I was always a delusional kid that would watch a movie and really go out and try to live it. I thought I was going to steal cars for the rest of my life after I saw Gone in Sixty Seconds. So Rocky was the first movie I ever saw and man, the rest was history. I don't watch films, I study films. I'm the guy listening to the director's commentary. Film is something that I really appreciate and it's a venue that I hope to get into after I'm done fighting.

FiveKnuckles- You're also an avid reader, especially of biographies. Do you draw inspiration from real life heroes as well?

Rory Markham- Yeah, biography-wise, I can't get enough of reading what other great men or women have done before me, any trials and tribulations they've been through. I can say "okay, this isn't that far-fetched to go for this kind of dream or that kind of dream because this person did it and if that guy can do it then I can do it."  Just reading "A Fighter's Mind", Sam Sheridan is a great friend of mine and I think he's an author that's really going to inspire people. He certainly has the mma community fixed on his work but his writings apply to everybody. You can always apply any kind of struggle to any facet of life, a hard job interview, a tough day at work, anything really. He's somebody that I've been focused on a lot but he's also one of my best friends. He's a best friend that I met through mma. We still stay in touch every day, call each other 3 times a week but I'm not just trying to pump up my buddy here. He's an amazing author and I always get a lot from his work.

FiveKnuckles- Is there anybody that you'd like to thank?

Rory Markham- Oh yeah, I'd like to thank TapouT as always. They've been with me for a very long time, ever since the IFL and that's somebody I'd really like to thank from the sport. Muscle Pharm is a new sponsor that I've just acquired. They're helping me out with this fight. I always like to thank Pat Miletich for all of his work and all the effort that he's put into me through this camp. Monte Cox, great manager, and I'd also like to thank Sandy Bowman, who's been there with me since the beginning as well. My teammates, my mom, my live-in girlfriend Nicolette, my dad, and most of all, the fans. If I have any fans out there that are nay-sayers or are just new to the sport and are like "who is this Markham guy?" if they could look into me and my fights, I fight for them. I fight with them in mind. There's a great line, "in the ring, the truth will find you."  Well for me the truth is to always go out there and give it my best and go 100% to make it a brawl and make it fun for the fans and I always hope that they're getting the most out of my fights.