Rob Broughton

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Rob Broughton, born 3 March 1983 in St. Helens, England, is a former English heavyweight mixed martial artist who competed from 2004 to 2015. He fought in the UFC and previously in Cage Rage, RINGS, and M-1 Global. He was the British Cage Rage Heavyweight Champion and earned recognition for his strong grappling and striking.

Early career and Cage Rage success
Broughton rose to prominence in 2006 after winning the Cage Rage Heavyweight title against James Thompson on just one week’s notice. He also defeated Robert Berry by knockout and Eric Esch (Butterbean) by submission in Cage Rage competitions. A cut eye stopped a bout with Tengiz Tedoradze, and a serious 2007 injury sidelined him for more than a year. He returned in 2008 and beat Neil Grove by majority decision to end Grove’s unbeaten run.

Competition abroad and M-1
In 2009, Broughton made his M-1 debut in Japan, defeating Yusuke Kawaguchi by decision, then Soufian Elgarne by TKO. He was part of the ill-fated Affliction: Trilogy event in Los Angeles; the event was canceled, and his fight was moved to M-1 Breakthrough in Kansas City, where he lost by decision due to travel issues. He later won a key semifinal in the M-1 Challenge by submitting Akhmed Sultanov, helping him establish himself as a top European heavyweight prospect. In early 2010 he won the ZT Fight Night Heavyweight Tournament, defeating Neil Wain, James Thompson, and Oli Thompson to claim the title and a £10,000 prize.

UFC career
In 2010 it was announced that Broughton and teammates had signed with the UFC. He debuted at UFC 120, defeating Vinicius Queiroz by rear-naked choke (Queiroz would later test positive for a banned substance). He was set to fight Dave Herman at UFC 131 but was replaced. He then faced Travis Browne at UFC 135 and lost by unanimous decision. He returned at UFC 138 to face Phil De Fries and again lost by unanimous decision. He was scheduled to fight Ednaldo Oliveira at UFC 142 but pulled out and was replaced by Gabriel Gonzaga. A planned bout with Matt Mitrione at UFC on Fox 5 was scrapped after he pulled out again, and he was subsequently released from the UFC.

Personal life
Broughton has a son and a daughter. He fought out of Liverpool and trained with Wolfslair MMA Academy, holding a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. His height is 6 ft 2 in, his fighting weight around 258 lb, and his reach 74 inches.

Legal trouble
In 2021, Broughton was sentenced to eight years in prison for his role as an enforcer for a drug gang.