- Former UFC welterweight Anthony Rocco Martin was arrested and charged with assault on a law enforcement officer in December 2022
- The six-year UFC veteran is out on bail but is scheduled to appear in court on February
After former UFC lightweight Cain Carrisoza’s arrest on Jan. 1, news broke that another ex-UFC fighter got busted a few weeks prior in Florida. The man in question was former UFC welterweight Tony Martin, a.k.a. Anthony Rocco Martin, who was arrested and charged with assault on a law enforcement officer.
Martin was a handful
Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a 911 call after the caller hangs up before speaking to the dispatcher at a residential address at Bonita Springs, Florida, a location the deputies noted they had “just previously been at” for “a verbal disturbance,” per Bloody Elbow.
The deputies stated that they immediately saw a crying “white female” in the black Ford Expedition, who was insisting “she just wanted to leave.” While speaking to the woman, the responding officers said they were approached by a “white male,” who “appeared inebriated,” and told them to “get off my f–king property right now.” The man was later identified as Martin.
Sensing Martin would cause trouble, the deputies told him an active investigation is underway but the former UFC welterweight responded, “I don’t care, and if you touch me, I will kick you’re a**.” All this time, Martin maintained his savage demeanor and “continued to escalate yelling and shouting statements such as, ‘I hate cops and you can suck my dick.’” That’s when deputies decided to restrain Martin due to “continuous attempts to square up face to face, in an aggressive posture with Deputies.”
Despite being restrained, Martin refused to behave and was quoted by the officers saying, “You think you’re a bad man, if you take me out of these cuffs’ I will kick you’re a**.” Moments later, the deputies learned that Martin is a professional MMA fighter and one of the arresting officers was quoted admitting, he “was in fear of physical harm from Martin.”
Finally arrested
After his prolonged taunting, Martin was finally arrested and taken by the deputies to the Lee County Justice Center at exactly 5:16 am. On December 22, Martin was bonded out of custody with a bail set at $5,000.
Martin was scheduled to attend to a hearing for his misdemeanor charge on January 10, 2023, but his lawyer filed a request for a jury trial on a not-guilty plea. This means Martin is still a free man on $5,000 bail. The court date for his appearance is February 22, 2023.
Prior to the December 2022 arrest, the report added that Martin already had a previous run-in with the law and was arrested in Las Vegas. Following a reported punch to a security guard in the throat, the six-year UFC veteran was charged with lewd/dissolute conduct in a public place on November 20, 2021. The commotion happened after the guard confronted Martin for apparently urinating in a hallway inside the Caesars Palace.
Martin fought in the UFC from 2014 to 2020 and shared the Octagon with some of the most notable names in the promotion, including Beneil Dariush, Ryan LaFlare, Jake Matthews, Neil Magny, and Demian Maia. He last competed at CES MMA 68 where he submitted Tim Bazer via Brabo choke. Martin has a pro record of 18-6.
