Notorious British MMA fighter was on his way to stardom before he was arrested for the UK’s biggest £53 million cash robbery

LEE MURRAY was on his way to stardom in the world of MMA before he was jailed for Britain’s biggest money robbery.

Murray, from Greenwich, was a feared London fighter who gained a notorious street reputation.

6

6

But in the octagon, he was an MMA prodigy tipped to reach the top of the sport.

Even before signing with the UFC, he became an urban legend for knocking out then-champion Tito Ortiz in a street fight.

He even faced MMA great Anderson Silva in 2004 – but his Octagon career – and his life – almost ended after being stabbed outside a nightclub 12 months later.

The following year, in 2006, Murray was involved in Britain’s biggest robbery – which earned him 25 years in prison.

Murray threw away a promising MMA career, which his friend and former training partner Alexis Demetriades believed truly had no limits.

Demetriades told SunSport: “He was a superstar. He is an absolute superstar. I saw him beat Tito Ortiz in the streets, yes, I did.

“The things I’ve seen him do – he’s an absolute legend. A very, very tough human being. A very tough man in any situation.

“I saw him lying on his back with people on top of him in side control and just sleeping. And they are on top of him, sleeping.

CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS

“He had such heavy hands, such a good fight IQ, such good awareness. He was an absolute talent.”

Murray had eight wins in 11 fights when he debuted in the UFC in 2004, defeating Jorge Rivera.

But a previous incident of road rage would come back to haunt him after his US visa was denied – thus ending his UFC hopes.

Just a year later – after his last MMA fight – Murray was lucky to survive after being stabbed outside the Funky Buddha nightclub in Mayfair.

He suffered a punctured lung and a severed artery and had to be resuscitated four times during the operation that saved his life.

But Murray fought his way back and planned a return to MMA.

Demetriades said: “We have been at war with each other all over the world. He is family and the epitome of a fighter.”

The MMA coach – who runs the London Shootfighters – was there the night Murray claimed to have knocked out Ortiz in the streets.

He was a star. He is an absolute superstar. I saw him beat Tito Ortiz in the streets, yes, I did.

Alexis Demetriades

And he himself can attest to the power of Murray’s famously powerful punches.

Demetriades said: “Their hands were devastating when they hit you.

“Even when sparring with him, I got hit by him and got cut a few times by him. I don’t usually cut myself, that normally doesn’t happen.

“But he was that kind of guy who had that power and that kind of intensity. He was a very intense character.”

After recovering from the near-fatal stabbing in 2005, Murray planned a return to the cage and began training again.

But just a year later, Murray’s life as he knew it would change forever.

6

6

6

He was part of a squad of seven armed men who brazenly robbed £53 MILLION from a Securitas warehouse in Tonbridge in February 2006.

It remains the biggest robbery in UK history and soon afterwards Murray fled to Morocco, where his father was born.

But in June, just four months after the robbery, Murray and his friend and criminal associate Paul Allen were arrested in Morocco.

Allen returned to the UK and was sentenced to 18 years – but served six years before being released in 2016.

Instead, Murray remained in Morocco after his extradition was refused – and he was sentenced to serve ten years behind bars.

But this was later extended to 25 YEARS after prosecutors argued that his original sentence was too lenient.

Murray is expected to be released in 2035 – although he is still pushing for a pardon from King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

His son – Lenie – is an amateur boxer and apparently a chip off the old block.