Meet the MMA star who spent 10 years on the run for crime he didn't commit

MMA star Shem Rock spent a decade on the run for a crime he didn't commit but is now fighting for one of Europe's leading promotions.

The Scouser was caught up in the wrong crowd for most of his teenage years and was eventually arrested in connection with an aggravated burglary. Rock, who maintained his innocence, was accidentally bailed and when he received a call from his solicitor to return to custody, he opted to flee the UK and travelled to Asia.

Rock spent his first year on the run in Thailand and his life changed forever during a trip to Singapore to renew his visa. “I walked past a big building and all of these people were rolling on mats. I spent 45-minutes just watching them, When I went back to Malaysia, five or six months later I was a sign for Brazilian jiu-jitsu and realised that was what I watched in Singapore," he told Mirror Fighting.

Rock's confrontational side proved to be his downfall when he took up jiu-jitsu, slamming the coach of his gym on his head whilst trying to escape a submission in his first training session. “He just f***ed me up, the first thing he did was triangle choke me. I picked him up and slammed him, it was the worst thing I ever did in my life.

"After that, he must have tapped me out about 60 times. I remember going home and scratching my head for two hours thinking ‘Was that real life?’ I went back that night for the evening class and after that went every day for three weeks straight." Rock eventually put together an MMA record of 6-1 before he was jailed and faced 12 years in prison upon his return to England

The Scouser was found not guilty in a trial that lasted just 20 minutes after being held on remand for six months. Rock admitted he still feels resentment towards the judicial system because of what he went through. "It did shape me and I am grateful for the path I've been on, but the system has done things it shouldn't have done now to a young teenager," he added.

Rock is back in action tonight when he fights Stefano Catacoli at OKTAGON 56 in Birmingham. The Scouser was supposed to face Jaroslav Pokorný last November in his third appearance for the promotion, but the fight was cancelled when Pokorny suffered an injury during a scuffle with Rock at their weigh-in.