Shem Rock will realise one of his dreams at OKTAGON 48.
Most British mixed martial arts stars want to fight for the UFC title or headline a show at Wembley Stadium, but Rock simply wants to settle his beef with the law.
The self-confessed former drug dealer was arrested in connection with an aggravated burglary – a crime he insists he didn’t commit – more than a decade ago.
After being released on bail by accident, Rock opted to flee the country rather than return to custody as his solicitor had suggested.
The Liverpudlian spent the next decade on the run, but during his time away from home he found MMA, and it took him all over the globe as he became a genuine prospect.
However, he was arrested after travelling to Belfast for a Clan Wars featherweight title fight he lost by knockout in front of his family.
Rock spent six months in jail before being found not guilty of aggravated burglary in April 2022 and returning home for the first time in 10 years.
The 29-year-old now boasts a 9-1-1 record, trains with UFC superstar Paddy Pimblett and is set to fight a police officer in Manchester on Saturday night.
OKTAGON – one of Europe’s biggest MMA promotions – will make its UK debut this weekend with a card that features a fight between reality TV personality Jake Quickenden and comedian Paul Smith.
Rock will face Czech policeman Jaroslav Pokorny, who is 16-10 in MMA and has been rubbing up his next opponent the wrong way ahead of their clash.
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“I can’t wait to just kill this guy,” Rock told talkSPORT.com.
“I seriously don’t like him. I’ve never really fought anyone I seriously don’t like, but I just don’t like this guy.
“At first, it was a no-brainer, he’s a police officer. Who doesn’t want to punch a hole through a police officer’s face? But then, even just going back and forth with him, he’s just an idiot, he just says some weird s***.
“He’s in my DMs chatting s*** about my mum, doing articles online saying I smell, and I wear the same T-shirt every day. I get it, you’re going to say what you’re going to say, but what type of banter is that? It’s f****** dead.
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“You either say something funny or you say something nasty. I just think he’s a weird guy.”
After spending much of his life fleeing from the police, Rock is not sure how to approach a fight he spent many nights in prison dreaming about.
He added: “It’s the dream. I never thought I’d ever get the chance to fight a police officer.
“This is like a main event, title shot for me getting to punch a police officer in the face. I just wish it was a five-rounder and not a three-round so I could drag him into deep waters and really punish him.
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“I’m torn between two minds. Do I just f****** go in there and take him out?
“Or do I go in there and f****** dominate him for three rounds? And every time he looks out just be like, ‘Na, I’m not submitting you. I’m not taking your neck. I’m punching a hole in your face.’
“And when the ref is about to stop it, maybe I’ll stop for a bit and let him recover, keep him in there, and just f****** punish him.
“The martial artist in me tells me to just do him in, get him out there quick and make a statement. I don’t know what it is in me that wants to f****** hurt him and keep him in there.
“Break his nose and his eye sockets. When he’s giving his back, just flatten him out, punch him in the ear and not even take his neck.
“Who knows, when you get in there sometimes all of that just goes out of the window.”
