Former UFC fighter Anthony Rocco Martin was arrested by Las Vegas Metro Police in the early hours of Saturday night. He was accused of urinating in a Caesars Palace hallway and then punching the casino s head of security in the throat.
Anthony Rocco Martin during his UFC days. The fighter has been charged with battery and lewd conduct in a public place after he was caught short in Caesars Palace Saturday. (Image: Getty)The Las Vegas Sun reports the Illinois-born mixed-martial artist, 31, later told police he believed he was being “racially profiled” and had been wrongfully arrested.
Martin is white.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports police suspect the fighter was intoxicated.
Small Leak Sinks ShipAccording to the arrest report, Caesars Palace security was alerted about 12:45 am after a passerby witnessed Martin relieving himself in a spot just off the casino floor, close to the Forum elevators.
When security guards confronted him and asked him to leave, he became belligerent. He refused to show ID and began issuing threats. Security manager Nathan Wilson told Martin he could face trespassing charges if he continued to refuse to leave the premises. He later told police the fighter was “in his face.”
When Wilson raised his hand and asked him to step back, Martin delivered a right hook to his throat, according to the police report.
At this point, he was wrestled to the floor and placed in restraints.
Lewd ConductPerennial contender Martin was charged with battery and lewd conduct in a public place. That’s after police reviewed security footage showing his impromptu toilet break and his attack on Wilson. Both are misdemeanor offenses.
Martin was released of his own recognizance later Saturday and is due in court on January 19.
The fighter left the UFC in January this year after his contract expired. In his near-seven years competing in the UFC’s lightweight and welterweight divisions, his professional MMA record is 17-6-0.
His last fight was in July 2020, a defeat to Neil Maguy by unanimous decision.
Martin isn’t the first professional athlete to get into trouble with security at Las Vegas casinos, and he probably won’t be the last.
Ultimate FightingIn May, a valet at the Cosmopolitan sued then-Las Vegas Raiders cornerback , allegedly for spitting at him, repeatedly poking him in the chest, and verbally abusing him when he refused to retrieve the player’s car without a valid valet ticket.
Arnette was recently dropped by the Raiders when a TikTok video of him surfaced, showing him apparently threatening someone with a firearm.
Also at the Cosmo, in 2018, former NBA star for allegedly trying to cheat at blackjack. He eventually pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct and paid a $1,000 fine.
It seems the Cosmopolitan is a favorite with disorderly athletes. In December 2020, former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict got into a fight with security after he went on the hunt for a slice of pizza from the casino’s “secret pizza” outlet.
His former teammate Adam “Pacman” Jones was accused of cheating at the Rising Star Casino near Cincinnati in February 2019. Jones subsequently threatened to kill an Ohio Gaming Commission official, which led to him spending two weeks in the local jail.
