Lee Murray update straight from prison in Morocco

There are no enigmatic figures in the world of mixed martial arts as polarizing as Lee Murray.

Some of the casual fans will likely never get to know what kind of man he was, but he was the one person that truly encompassed the term “fighter”.

He was cocky, brash, and loud–but had all the goods to back it up. One of the best athletes in mixed martial arts is now floundering his life away in Moroccan prison–why do you ask? Because he is convicted off pulling of the single greatest bank heist in history. But he still vows that he will return to fight one day, and according to Murray, don’t be surprised if it’s sooner rather than later.

The former UFC star was sentenced to 25-years in prison on June of last year when he was convicted bank robbery, allegedly scoring more than $83,000,000 in a single shot during the now infamous Securitas Depot robbery in England.

And now, the 33-year-old–who is also credited to knocking out former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz in a street brawl in 2002 (which many fighters have verified those claims, including Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, and Pat Mileteich)–is in his Moroccan jail cell, passing the time with magazines, dvd’s, some workouts here and there…oh, and did I mention he recently completed an interview with MiddleEasy.com with the cell phone he just so happens to have? All through text messages, my friends.

Here are some of the more interesting conversations between him and the mixed martial arts forum:

How comfortable are the facilities there?

Lee Murray: There’s 23 people in the room at the moment, that’s as full as it gets. The room has beds for 16 people, so the rest are on the floor. Usually there’s about 18-19 which ain’t too bad when you compare it to some rooms with 50 people in a room, it’s like a gaint sardine can I’ve seen some crazy s*** since I’ve been here. I’ve been here coming up five years now, and you can see a lot of crazy s*** in that time. Now it’s normal for me to see a guy walking around with his mouth sewn up because he refused to eat. Literally sewn up with a needle & thread!!

If you were freed tomorrow and Dana White signed you to the UFC, how many months would it take you to realistically train and get back in shape in order to compete again?

Lee Murray: Six months. I always kept myself in good shape even when I was isolated by myself. It’s easy now I have a sparring partner who has stand-up skills that could hold his own with most fighters in the welterweight and middleweight division in the UFC. I have kettle-bells, dumbbells, skipping ropes, bands, the only thing I’m missing here is the wrestling & BJJ, it wouldn’t take me long to get back to the top and besides, I’m more hungry than ever. The first opponent would get a hole punched in his head.

Alright, first opponent: Tito Ortiz headlining a card or Anderson Silva in a non-title, undercard fight. Which opponent would satisfy you the most if you win in those two scenarios?

Lee Murray: Anderson, because he has a win over me. He is one up. I have nothing to prove by fighting Tito. I have one up on him, he doesn’t have one up on me…but not to say I would fight him too if he wants to dance.

You allegedly masterminded the largest bank heist in the history of planet earth, which essentially means that every history major going through college from now until the end of the world will know of your name and read your story. Do you feel that grants you a sense of immortality?

Lee Murray: I truly believe I’m gonna be out sooner rather than later, and when I’m out, I’m gonna be back better than ever and If Dana gave me the chance to fight in the UFC again, which wouldn’t be a problem now because i don’t need a visa for certain countries, I would become UFC champion, without a doubt. I would bet dollars against doughnuts that I would be champ, and then I would be immortal. Can you imagine that story? That would be one hell of a story…I believe it’s still possible!!

And with that single interview, all of my fanboy dreams of somehow, possibly, maybe, seeing Lee Murray fight once again were reignited in a five-minute read. So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the news from the London Shootfighter? I would highly recommend everyone check the full-interview here, where there are more tidbits concerning some more fun facts with Robbie Lawler, Tito Ortiz, and even Jenna Jameson (oh my). Sound off in the comment section below.