Former UFC Fighter Now Persona Non-Grata at Casino for Lewd Act

According to the Las Vegas Sun, Anthony Rocco Martin (17-6), a former UFC fighter, was arrested in Las Vegas on Saturday after allegedly urinating at a casino floor, and then punching a security staff member who responded.

Save it For the Ring

Caesar’s Palace patrons witnessed the incident around 12:45 AM on Saturday. Police arrived at 1:30 AM local time to arrest Martin. Martin, who used the name Tony Martin, was arrested and charged with lewd conduct and battery in a public place.

Martin was seen urinating in a casino hallway by a hotel guest. Security officers, including Security Manager Nathan Wilson, then confronted him and asked him to leave. They asked him to leave, which he refused, according to the arrest report. Martin refused to produce identification and threatened security guards. Martin then allegedly became hostile, and punched Wilson in the throat.

The arresting officer’s report shows that Martin has denied any wrongdoing and says he had been racially profiled, as well as wrongfully arrested. However, the officer also claimed that Martin appeared to have been under the influence of alcohol and/or a controlled substance. Martin will have a difficult time finding support for his innocence, as surveillance footage reportedly exists that shows him in the act of urinating on the floor.

Martin was released in the afternoon and is scheduled to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court January 19 for wellness checks.

UFC Career Comes to an End

After fighting his final fight under his promotional contract at UFC 250 last June, the 31-year-old left the UFC this past January. Martin won notable victories over Sergio Moraes and Ryan Laflare, as well as Ramazan Emeev and Jake Matthews in 15 UFC fights.

The former fighter discussed his health issues that led to him being admitted to the hospital after his UFC exit. Martin suffered a knee injury and had to have surgery. He then contracted an infection that caused more complications. Since then, he hasn’t competed.

Anthony Rocco Martin fought 15 times between February 2014 – June 2020 under the UFC banner. Martin lost a unanimous decision to Neil Magny in his latest bout at UFC 250. He is a native of Palos Heights in Illinois, fights out from Boston and finished with a 17-6-0 record.