Shem Rock Exclusive: “Paddy Pimblett always tries to take my head off”

After seven years on the run for a crime he didn’t commit, Paddy Pimblett’s teammate Shem Rock will return to MMA this Saturday night as part of OKTAGON MMA 

Speaking about OKTAGON, Rock said:

• Paddy Pimblett has helped teammate Shem Rock prepare for a showdown with Jan Mallach in Prague on Saturday live on DAZN.
  
• Rock describes Pimblett’s and Molly McCann’s ‘uplifting’ influence on Liverpool’s Next Gen gym and how training with them is improving his development.
  
• Rock returned to Next Gen after being wrongly imprisoned – and following seven years on the run 

“Paddy throws looping shots and comes to take your head off”

“I’ve sparred with Paddy a lot in this camp. He’s very good on the front foot. Paddy’s very aggressive, he throws looping shots and comes to take your head off, and I feel like my opponent is going to be a bit like that, so Paddy mimicked my opponent well on the feet.

“Paddy has obviously got much better grappling than my opponent, but I’ve had a good camp and I’m ready to go. Paddy is 4-0 in the UFC, he’s proven his level, and it’s good to spar him as it lets you know where you belong – at the top. One million per cent. Anyone in the room will tell you that.”

“The fact that you’re in there in the deep end with killers everyday, it’s only going to sharpen you. And I’m a killer just as much as they’re a killer, so everyday we are trying to one up each other. So he might surpass me and then I might surpass him.”

“They’ll start blazing the tunes, they’re all laughing and joking, they’ve got great banter” 

“Paddy and Molly are the type of people who lift the spirit in the room. Somedays you come in and everybody is sore, some days you come in and everyone is in their own head and not really speaking and being a bit quiet – and they’ll start blazing the tunes, they’re all laughing and joking, they’ve got great banter and then everyone is laughing and joking and uplifted. 

“And they’re motivated – maybe your back is sore or your legs are sore, maybe you’re fatigued because it’s the end of the week, maybe you don’t want to spar that hard – but they put it on you and then you put it on them. And now we’re going back and forth”

“In the last 12 months, this’ll be my fourth fight. I’ve been active and I feel that being around all of the killers in the room constantly working hard, I can’t not level up. The coaches are very good as well, I have a lot of time for them, they’ve helped me a lot.

Malach is going to be shocked. I think he thinks I’m just a grappler”

“I think Mallach will feel the pressure more than I will. He’s in his home country, but I’ll be getting booed. I’ve been getting slagged by all of the fans in the comments on social media, but that just motivates me more. That’s what they don’t realise. I prefer being the bad guy. I prefer to be doubted. Whatever they want to say, I’ll just come and take him out even quicker. 

“He’s going to be shocked. I think he thinks I’m just a grappler, but when the shots start landing early on, he’ll realise that this skinny fighter has power, and before he know it, I’ll put him on his back and submit him.”

” I went to the world championships and represented Great Britain while I was on the run.”

“There was no way I was sitting in jail for a crime I never committed, so being young and dumb, I ran. I probably shouldn’t have, but I’m glad I did, because if I didn’t run, I would not have discovered martial arts.”

“I found jiu jitsu when I was on the run. I think I was turning 22, so I found martial arts a bit later. I was on the run in Malaysia, and at the start, it was almost like I was on holiday.”

“I was in shape, I’d had street fights, I thought i’ll bounce in and punch these guys heads in. I went in on my first day and got tapped out by a 14 year old who was about 50 kilos soaking wet. But I just kept showing up consistently, three times a day, seven days a week, for 12 months straight.

“Now I’ve got the bug to compete. I’m doing all of these competitions and beating everyone. I slowly start to beat everyone in the country. Now I’m competing internationally and winning. I went to the [jiu jitsu] world championships and represented Great Britain while I was on the run.”

“I then won my first amateur MMA title [on a TV show in Asia]. Another opportunity arrived to be on another TV show but when I came back to Malaysia then I had the phone call ‘we’ve found out you’re wanted’ so you’re being terminated.”

“I wanted to go home but I couldn’t. I have probably done all I can do in south-east Asia. I thought I needed to get on shows in Europe. I thought ‘where can I go that’s like Liverpool, but not Liverpool?’. I went to Dublin.

“I went down to Dublin Combat Academy and I told them from day one I was on the run. I was then offered a title fight, but in Belfast, UK territory, so I had to weigh up the risks, but I thought I’m not running or hiding. I’d been running eight to nine years at this point, if they get me they get me. I went to Belfast, won my fight, won the belt, my first professional championship. 

“I went back to defend my belt. It was the first fight my mum came to watch me. I got knocked out and then I was arrested and they refused to give me bail. I ended up doing six months in Walton prison and it was not fun. It was the worst time of my life but it was something I needed to go through to get where I am now.  In the end I got a ‘not guilty’ verdict, I was a free man, I’m back in Liverpool and the first place I want to come is Next Gen. In my first session I’m training with Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann. I threw up in the toilet as I was out of shape from jail. I ended up winning two titles for the gym and ultimately being signed by OKTAGON MMA.”

“I’m so grateful for OKTAGON MMA and the opportunity from Ondrej and Pavol. I feel like I’ve really found my home here and I’m proper made up to be getting these opportunities. It’s a bucket list to fight in an open air arena, and I’m made up to be a part of it.”

FightBookMMA

Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a passion for Combat Sports and also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.