‘Now we’re talking’ – Paddy Pimblett’s teammate who spent ten years on the run signs with the UFC

Shem Rock has officially signed with the UFC.

The 31-year-old joins Dana White‘s promotion fresh off an unbeaten run at OKTAGON MMA, where he won four of his five bouts after drawing on his 2023 debut.

He defeated Attia Korkmaz in his last appearance at OKTAGON 71 in May, outpointing the German native over three rounds.

“I’ve already done this,” Rock said during an announcement video on social media, referring to his time under the OKTAGON MMA banner after MMA journalist Patrick McCorry broke the news of his signing.

“Now we’re f****** talking,” the Liverpudlian added, proudly representing a UFC glove.

Rock was front row at UFC London in March, where he was recorded having a brief conversation with UFC President and CEO White when the latter was revealed to the crowd at the O2 Arena.

Speaking to talkSPORT.com before his victory over Korkmaz at OKTAGON 71, remarked: “All I will tell you is this.

“Dana White said, ‘Yeah Shem, what’s happening brother? Are you alright?”

The Liverpudlian then explained how he was happy at OKTAGON MMA, as the UFC hadn’t offered him any official contract.

But White has clearly changed his stance on the lightweight fighter since then.

Rock emerged as another one of Liverpool’s fighting stars fighting for various promotions from 2017 to 2021 before signing for Cage Warriors, where he suffered his one and only MMA loss to Nathan Kelly in 2021.

His journey to MMA’s summit is remarkable, given he found love for the sport while on the run from the law.

During his youth, Rock found himself in trouble with the police, and by the age of 19, he was very much on the radar of local authorities.

He was then arrested in connection with an aggravated burglary, a crime which Rock insists he didn’t commit.

After being questioned and bailed, Rock received a call that said his release was a mistake, asserting he must return to be remanded into custody.

However, having told his representative that he would hand himself in the following day, the Liverpudlian decided to flee the country, leaving Liverpool for France before reaching Thailand and eventually settling in Malaysia.

Rock stumbled across Brazilian jiu-jitsu during his time in Asia and quickly become one of the best in his weight class.

After a successful stint in BJJ, he decided to transition to MMA and went 4-0 as an amateur.

Rock turned pro shortly after, almost signing for ONE Championship, until the huge Asian promotion found out about his fugitive status and refused to continue conversations.

The incident forced Rock to head back to Europe, and the Merseyside star soon found himself as Clan Wars’ new featherweight champion after submitting Neil Ward in the first round.

He then defended his belt in his sixth professional MMA fight against Kelly but suffered a first-round knockout to the Irishman before being arrested.

Ultimately, Rock was found not guilty of aggravated burglary, and he proceeded to link up with UFC star Paddy Pimblett at his Next Generation gym in Liverpool.

Rock has won six of his seven fights since then and now boasts a record of 11-1.

After drawing with Arthur Lima on his OKTAGON MMA debut, he secured three successive first-round finishes before defeating Korkmaz at OKTAGON 71 in Munich, Germany, last month.

The 155lbs star has now signed with the UFC and is hoping to cement his name as a worldwide star in MMA’s biggest promotion.

According to MMA Fighting, the UFC also welcomed former PFL heavyweight champion Ante Delija to their roster on Friday.

The Croatian fighter is 25-6 in MMA, with notable wins over Renan Ferreira and Matheus Scheffel during his three-year PFL spell.