Rob Broughton (born 3 March 1983) is an English former

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who competed in the

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

division. A professional competitor between 2004 and 2015, Broughton is a former British Cage Rage heavyweight champion and has also competed in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC),

RINGS Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

, and

M-1 Global M-1 Global (Mixfight-1) or MMA-1 (Mixed martial arts-1) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in St. Petersburg, Russia which organizes between 10 and 20 competitions per year. It hosted its first major show (rather than co-promoting with othe ...

. Broughton was sentenced to an eight-year prison term in 2021 for his role as an enforcer for a drug gang.

Mixed martial arts career

Cage Rage

Rob first gained national recognition in 2006 when he became the British Cage Rage Heavyweight Champion, after defeating former

PRIDE Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...

veteran James Thompson at

Cage Rage Cage Rage Championships, also known as Cage Rage, was a United Kingdom-based, mixed martial arts promotion that premiered on 7 September 2002 in London. Cage Rage went into liquidation and is now no longer trading. Cage Rage had been owned and ma ...

17 in

Wembley Arena Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-sea ...

, on just one week's notice. Broughton then went on to defeat

Robert Berry The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

via KO and submit the world-renowned and ex-World Super Heavyweight Boxing Champion,

Eric Esch Eric Scott Esch (born August 3, 1966), better known by his nickname "Butterbean", is an American retired professional boxer, kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and professional wrestler who competed in the heavyweight division. He is also a televis ...

in Cage Rage competition. However Broughton's win streak was ended against Tengiz Tedoradze, when a cut eye forced a premature end to the bout. During 2007 Rob sustained a severe injury during training, which prevented him from professional competition for over a year, but on his return to the

Cage Rage Championships Cage Rage Championships, also known as Cage Rage, was a United Kingdom-based, mixed martial arts promotion that premiered on 7 September 2002 in London. Cage Rage went into liquidation and is now no longer trading. Cage Rage had been owned and ma ...

in March 2008, he showed his potential once again by ending the unbeaten record of

Neil Grove Neil Grove (born 18 January 1971) is a South African-English Heavyweight professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2006, Grove has competed for the UFC, Bellator Cage Rage, UCMMA, and the SFL. Background Originally ...

at Cage Rage 25 by majority decision. In October 2008, Broughton then fought the former

UFC Heavyweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

Ricco Rodriguez Ricco Rodriguez (born August 19, 1977) is an American semi-retired mixed martial artist currently competing in the heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 1999, he has competed for the UFC, PRIDE Fighting Championships, EliteXC, I ...

in Liverpool. On this occasion Broughton impressed again by avoiding his opponent's takedown attempts, whilst dominating early on in the clinch and in top position too. However, despite a promising second round Broughton eventually succumbed to Rodriguez by

kneebar A leglock is a joint lock that is directed at joints of the leg such as the ankle, knee or hip joint. A leglock which is directed at joints in the foot, is sometimes referred to as a foot lock and a lock at the hip as a hip lock. Leglocks are f ...

, which came as a bitter blow to the Liverpool-based fighter. However this performance has only increased Broughton's determination to break through into the world scene.

M1 Challenge /Global

Broughton made his M-1 debut representing Team England on 29 April in Japan, defeating the then unbeaten Japanese fighter

Yusuke Kawaguchi (born August 14, 1980) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, who fights in the heavyweight division. He is the former DEEP Megaton Champion, and has also fought in DREAM, M-1 Global and KSW. Judo Yusuke Kawaguchi came ...

by decision after a dominating performance. Then on 5 June he made his second

M-1 Challenge M-1 Challenge is a competitions organized by M-1 Global with a series of events held in different places around the world where MMA fighters compete against each other. The events are broadcast in over 100 countries. Fighters in over 30 countries ...

appearance defeating Soufian Elgarne via TKO. Elgarne's corner withdrew their fighter early on in the bout after Broughton controlled the fight from the start with superior clinch work and striking. Broughton's performances in the

meant he was called up to the ill-fated Affliction: Trilogy show on 1 August in Los Angeles. However, the event was cancelled, and Broughton's fight against Jessie Gibbs was hastily rearranged to the M-1 Global Presents Breakthrough show on 28 August in Kansas City. Broughton, who was hampered by bad flight plans and other logistical issues, was unable to show his true potential in a bout that was broadcast live on

HDNet AXS TV is an American cable television channel. Majority-owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, it is devoted primarily to music-related programming (such as concert films, documentaries, and reality series involving musicians) and combat sport ...

in the US and live over the internet and as a result he lost by decision. Frustrated by his performance, Broughton immediately requested to fight in the

semifinals in Russia and despite suffering from injuries and hampered by bad preparation, he was able to claim Team England's only win of the night as he submitted the BodogFIGHT veteran Akhmed Sultanov by

keylock An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, pr ...

in round 1 of their bout. Broughton dominated proceedings and totally nullified Sultanov's offence and eventually forced the Russian to verbally submit to a shoulder lock. This win saw Broughton increase his

record to 3–0 and helped him establish his status as one of Europe's top Heavyweight prospects.

ZT Fight Night: Heavyweights Collide

Broughton participated in the ZT Fight Night: Heavyweights Collide. This event was considered important in the UK domestic scene, to clarify the UK-based number one Heavyweight. The ZT Fight Night Heavyweight Tournament was a one-night tournament that took place on 31 January 2010. In the opening round he faced off against UFC veteran Neil Wain, submitting Wain with a guillotine choke in the second round. In the semifinals he faced MMA journeyman James Thompson, who was coming off an impressive TKO (punches) win over Tengiz Tedoradze in his opening round. Broughton had defeated Thompson in the past, back in 2006 and the win had made Brougton the British Cage Rage Heavyweight Champion. The man who took the title away from Broughton was Tengiz Tedoradze, who Thompson defeated to face off against Broughton in the tournament. In this bout, Broughton defeated Thompson by KO (Punch) in the second round. Broughton was next expected to face off against

Joe Vedepo Jody David VeDepo is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2005, he has formerly competed for the UFC and Bellator. Background Born and raised in the sma ...

, a natural Middleweight who took part in the Heavyweight tournament on a days notice, but Vedepo broke his hand in his semifinals bout against

Oli Thompson Oli or OLI may refer to: Places * Oli-ye Jonubi, a village in Bushehr Province, Iran * Oli-ye Shomali, a village in Bushehr Province, Iran People * Óli, a Faroese and Icelandic given name * Oliver (given name), nickname * Oli (footballer) ...

, which forced him out of the finals. Oli Thompson went on to replace Vedepo and Broughton defeated Oli Thompson in the finals by unanimous decision to win the ZT Fight Night Heavyweight Tournament Championship as well as earning the £10,000 tournament cheque. After the event, Rob stated that he hoped the bigger organizations such as the UFC and Strikeforce noticed his achievements and hopes of landing a multi-fight contract.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On 21 April 2010,

ESPN UK BT Sport 4 is a British sports television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA and the BT Group. It is part of the BT Sport group of channels in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and is predominantly focused on sports from North America. ...

reported that Broughton and two other Wolfslair MMA Academy teammates had signed with the UFC on a multi-fight contract His debut was against

Vinicius Queiroz Vinicius Kappke de Queiroz (born August 29, 1983) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Heavyweight division of Bellator. A professional competitor since 2003, he has also competed for the UFC. Background Origin ...

UFC 120 ''UFC 120: Bisping vs. Akiyama'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 16, 2010, at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom. The card featured six televised MMA bouts, as well as four un-aired preli ...

in which he won via rear-naked choke. Queiroz later tested positive for the steroid

Stanozolol Stanozolol (Abbreviation, abbrev. Stz), sold under many brand names, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication derived from dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It is used to treat hereditary angioedema. It was developed by American pharmaceuti ...

. Broughton was expected face promotional newcomer Dave Herman on 11 June 2011 at

UFC 131 ''UFC 131: dos Santos vs. Carwin'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on 11 June 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Background Brock Lesnar was originally scheduled to face ...

. However, in late March, Broughton was replaced in the bout by

Joey Beltran José Felipe Beltran (born December 9, 1981) is an American bare-knuckle fighter and mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, he has competed for the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce, and King of the Cage. He currently compet ...

. Broughton faced

Travis Browne Travis Kuualiialoha Browne (born July 17, 1982) is an American retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who last competed as a heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Browne was born in H ...

on 24 September 2011 at

UFC 135 ''UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 24, 2011 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. Background The Ultimate Fighting Championship had its first ever event in Den ...

where he lost by unanimous decision. Broughton made a quick return to the octagon as he replaced

UFC 138 ''UFC 138: Leben vs. Muñoz'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 5, 2011 at LG Arena in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The event aired on the same day, via tape delay, on Spike TV in the United S ...

against

Phil De Fries Philip De Fries (born 21 April 1986) is a British mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki. A professional competitor since 2009, De Fries has formerly competed for the UFC, Bellator, an ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Broughton was scheduled to face Ednaldo Oliveira on 14 January 2012 at

UFC 142 ''UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 14, 2012 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was the first UFC event of the year, and was broadcast live on pay-per-view ...

, but was forced out of the bout and replaced by

Gabriel Gonzaga Gabriel Gonzaga Santos Nogueira (; born 18 May 1979) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who competed in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is perhaps best known for his upset head-kick knockout of ...

. Broughton was expected to face

Matt Mitrione Matthew Steven Mitrione (born July 15, 1978) is an American mixed martial artist and former American football player, who competed for both the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and most recently for Bellator MMA. Prior to embarking on an MMA ...

on 4 August 2012 at UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera. However, the bout was scrapped after Broughton pulled out for an undisclosed personal matter. Broughton/Mitrione was briefly linked to

UFC on FX 5 ''UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot'' (also known as ''UFC on FX 5'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 5, 2012, at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was the fifth UFC event broadcast l ...

. However, the bout was scrapped altogether after Broughton was forced out of the bout a second time and as a result, Broughton was released from the promotion.

Personal life

Rob Broughton currently has two children from two different spouses. India-Rose Broughton-Cowell and Billy Broughton. Rob Broughton has remained present in both children’s life, as well as remaining present with his previous spouse’s son, Jonathan McIntyre.

Criminal conviction

On 20 April 2021, Broughton was sentenced at

Liverpool Crown Court The Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts, in Derby Square, Liverpool, are operated by His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service. The building is used by the Crown Court, the Magistrates' Court, Liverpool District Probate Registry and the Liverpool Yout ...

to eight years in prison for his role as an enforcer and money launderer for a

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

-based cocaine ring. According to prosecutors, Broughton never had any direct contact with any of the drugs the gang was selling, but that he was used as an enforcer to collect on unpaid debts. Per a report, the group is believed to have made a total of approximately £30 million in cocaine sales.

Championships and accomplishments

*Cage Rage **Cage Rage British Heavyweight Champion *ZT Fight Nights **ZT Fight Night Heavyweight Tournament Winner (2010)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 16–7–1 , Marcin Bocian , Submission (kimura) , ICE FC 6: Broughton vs. Bocian , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:18 , Manchester, Greater Manchester,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, United Kingdom , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–7–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, England, United Kingdom , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–6–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5–1 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:43 ,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , ZT Fight Night: Heavyweights Collide , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Hove Hove is a seaside resort and one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove, along with Brighton in East Sussex, England. Originally a "small but ancient fishing village" surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th cen ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5–1 , James Thompson , KO (punch) , ZT Fight Night: Heavyweights Collide , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:28 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 12–5–1 , Neil Wain , Submission (guillotine choke) , ZT Fight Night: Heavyweights Collide , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:16 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 11–5–1 , Akhmed Sultanov , Submission (americana) , M-1 Challenge 19: 2009 Semifinals , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:31 ,

Rostov Oblast Rostov Oblast ( rus, Росто́вская о́бласть, r=Rostovskaya oblast, p=rɐˈstofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the Southern Federal District. The oblast has an area of and a populati ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–5–1 , Jessie Gibbs , Decision (unanimous) , M-1 Global: Breakthrough , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, , Soufian Elgarne , TKO (ankle injury) , M-1 Challenge 16: USA , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:02 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–4–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , M-1 Challenge 14: Japan , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–4–1 ,

, Submission (kneebar) , CG 9: Beatdown , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:39 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3–1 ,

, Decision (majority) ,

Cage Rage 25 A cage is an enclosure often made of mesh, bars, or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal or person in captivity, capturing an animal or person, and displayi ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–3–1 , Tengiz Tedoradze , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Cage Rage 20 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:58 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2–1 , Butterbean , TKO (submission to punches) , Cage Rage 19 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:43 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2–1 , Robert Berry , TKO (punches) , Cage Rage 18 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:33 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2–1 , James Thompson , KO (punches) , Cage Rage 17 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:49 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2–1 , Martin Thompson , Submission (guillotine choke) , War in Workington 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:40 ,

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2–1 , Sidnei da Silva , TKO , Cage Gladiators 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:44 ,

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–2–1 , Peter Cousins , Decision , Intense Fighting 2 , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A ,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1–1 , Andy Ryan , TKO (punches) , RINGS: Bushido Ireland , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 1–1–1 , Ryan Robinson , KO , CFC 3: Cage Carnage , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, England , , - , Draw , align=center, 0–1–1 , Assim Assine , Draw , CFC 2: Cage Carnage , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Milco Voorn , Submission (choke) , CFC 1: Cage Carnage , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A ,

, England ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Broughton, Rob Living people 1983 births English male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Sportspeople from St Helens, Merseyside 21st-century English criminals English male criminals Criminals from Merseyside English money launderers Prisoners and detainees of England and Wales Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters