Shem Rock: The MMA fighter who was on the run for seven years
- Published
Rock trains with UFC stars Molly McCann (left) and Paddy Pimblett (right).
When Shem Rock chose to flee from the police, he did not think he would last a day.
He was wrong - it went on for seven years. But, remarkably, it would lead him out of a difficult life in the most unexpected way.
Accused of a burglary with violence and assault in 2014, Liverpool's Rock went on the run aged 20, fearing he would be jailed for a crime he did not commit.
He packed his belongings, set his alarm for 5am and left his house in Toxteth the next morning.
"I thought, 'They're going to put a block on this passport', but they didn't," Rock tells BBC Sport.
"Then I thought when I get to the border in France, they will say, 'passports please', and arrest me. They didn't even look at my passport.
"I got off the Eurostar train in France like, 'wow'. Then I knew they were not going to stop me."
Rock, whose full name is Shaqueme Rock, moved on to Malaysia, and it would be seven years before he would be arrested in the UK, where he served six months on remand in custody.
While on the run overseas, he started training in MMA, found he had a talent and started competing, appearing on two MMA-based reality TV shows which helped bring to light that he was wanted by British police.
He would move to Dublin, where his blossoming MMA career would lead to his eventual arrest.
In 2022 he was found not guilty in court, clearing his name of the charge which had cast a shadow over his life.
Now Rock, who trains at Liverpool's Next Generation MMA gym alongside UFC stars Molly McCann and Paddy Pimblett, has signed with European promotion Oktagon MMA, and is set to fight Arthur Lima in Slovakia on Saturday.
"That was my old life, this is my new life, and now the sky is the limit," said Rock.
"Everything that I've been through, all the hurdles, all the doors being slammed in my face, all the haters - it's built my character and made me hungrier."
'I'm not going to jail for a crime I haven't committed'
Growing up, Rock says school "wasn't really his thing" and he "got involved with the wrong crowd".
"I wasn't living the cleanest life. I was up to no good, selling drugs," said Rock.
"My house would always get raided. I would always get stopped and searched."
Rock was arrested numerous times as a teenager and released with no charge, but was then questioned by police over an alleged burglary.
When he was informed by his solicitor that the police had mistakenly bailed him, he panicked.
"I knew the rigmarole of being arrested, but not the rigmarole of going to jail as a young lad," said Rock.
"I thought, 'I'm not going to jail for a crime I haven't committed', so I fled."
After reaching France, Rock flew to Thailand, where he stayed for several months before moving to Malaysia.
There, he attended his first Brazilian jiu-jitsu class.
"I caught the bug immediately. At that point in my life it was something I needed. I was a bit reckless, off the rails. My professor instilled discipline in me on and off the mats," said Rock.
"I really applied myself, changed my life and lived on the straight and narrow."
'I never saw my family for years'
Trying to earn more money, Rock entered two martial arts-based reality television shows in Asia, including ONE Championship's popular Warrior Series, reaching the latter stages in both.
But once TV producers learned Rock was wanted by police in the UK, they kicked him off the show.
With opportunities drying up, a then 27-year-old Rock decided to move to Ireland to further his career.
But after travelling to Northern Ireland in 2021 for a fight, he was arrested in Belfast and spent six months behind bars awaiting trial.
"Not for a second did I think my MMA career was over," said Rock.
"I lifted weights every day in my cell, I shadow boxed every day. I did everything I could and in my mind, whether I was going to get out or not, I still would have got back to the grind.
"I knew I'd already found my passion and I'd already found what I was supposed to do on this planet. Nothing would have stopped me."
Rock describes the emotions when he was acquitted in April 2022. After seven years on the run, the trial lasted less than 20 minutes.
"I never saw my family in Liverpool for years. But the thing that most made me happy was all this time I was wanted for a burglary," he said.
"They tarnished my name and to have my name cleared of being a house robber was the best thing for me."
'To change just one kid's life would be amazing'
Rock has earned two first-round wins since joining Next Generation MMA gym in Liverpool
Free of the accusations he had weathered for almost a decade, Rock could now focus entirely on MMA.
He says it was a "no-brainer" to join Next Generation.
"I was out [of jail] on the Thursday or Friday and then on the Monday I was in the gym training. Straight in the deep end with Paddy, Molly - it was boss," said Rock.
"My first class I threw up everywhere because I was out of shape from jail, but I built on that, showing up every day."
Like Pimblett and McCann, Rock is equally passionate about helping enrich young people's lives in Liverpool.
"I am Nigerian, Bajan, English and Scottish. But at the end of the day I'm Scouse," he said.
"Growing up throughout my life, we never had people to look up to.
"My area is predominantly a black and immigrant area. Even though Paddy and Molly are great representatives for Scousers, there are still some people in this city who don't have a representative.
"I come from a generation of immigrants. I'm mixed race, so hopefully I can be that for that demographic.
"If I can change just one kid's life that would be amazing for me."
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