Marshman: Army issued me a ‘formal warning’ for UFC London

Jack Marshman faced some backlash from the British army for deciding to ignore their warning and fight at UFC London.

Prior to his fight at UFC London earlier this month, UFC middleweight Jack Marshman revealed the army was trying to prevent him from fighting. That didn’t work, and understandably the Welshman faced some backlash from the military.

Marshman, who won a split decision against John Philips at the O2 Arena in London, said he received a ‘formal warning’ from the army when he appeared on The MMA Hour earlier this week.

“I’m leaving anyway, I’ve given my year’s notice because on the fourth of November that will be my 12-year point, so that’s me signing off now,” Marshman said.

The 29-year-old snapped a two-fight losing streak with the win over Philips, dropping fights against Karl Roberson and Antonio Carlos Junior before that. Marshman explained he thought he had the go-ahead to fight until on fight week he received a text saying he wasn’t allowed too.

“My officer in command knew that I was fighting and he had basically okay’d it,” Marshman said. “But it came from above him that I wasn’t allowed to fight and the day I was going to fight week, on the Tuesday, I had a text message off my RCMO (Regimental Careers Management Officer) telling me I wasn’t gonna be fighting. … I just sort of went with it anyway.”

Marshman explained he wants to leave the army after spending over a decade serving for his country to focus full-time on his fighting career. The Welshman feels he isn’t training the best way he could be due to his job as a paratrooper, so hopefully leaving the army can change that.

“I want to continue fighting,” Marshman said. “I’ve been doing this for, like, 12 years. I’m fighting a really high level, I made it to the UFC, I’ve just been offered a new contract, and I got really far but at the minute my job is a soldier. I’m a professional soldier and I’m not training the same ways as everyone else.”