Issue 168

June 2018

‘Rocky’ has an eye on big fights after breaking into the UFC’s welterweight top 15.

Are you surprised it took you a couple of rounds to start to dominate Peter Sobotta at UFC Fight Night 127?

I knew I was going to start slow because I had chicken pox. I would have preferred to finish him in the first or second round, but he’s a tough veteran so I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I got the victory in the end.

Did you have to stop training completely while you were sick?

I couldn’t go to the gym for about two weeks and I was in bed for 10 days. I couldn’t train with anyone else in case I spread it, but I just had to start cutting weight. It was a horrible time (laughs).

Was there a breaking point when you felt you started to dominate?

I think it was in the first round. As soon as I caught him and dropped him, he was pretty much on the back foot for the rest of the fight. He wasn’t engaging or anything. In his last two fights, he was the guy coming forward. I thought he’d come forward, but as soon as I caught him, he was on the back foot.

Did you realize you’d finished him with only one second left in the fight?

No, I was literally just pounding away. My coaches told me to keep punching because I’d cut him with an elbow and I could see him leaking, so I thought I’d keep the ground and pound up. The ref said he had to improve his position, so I’d keep pounding away. I thought the bell went, but my coaches told me no, I got the finish.

What made you go so hard for the TKO instead of backing off for a comfortable decision?

My style is to always go for the finish – win every round and go for a stoppage. If you get it in the end, you get it, but if not, you win the fight. I want to go out and dominate these guys. There’s no one else that stands out by doing that in the top 10.

How much that stoppage boost your marketability and popularity?

I think it’s a massive deal. I’m on a five fight winning streak now, so I’ll push for a fight in July, in Vegas. I wanted that Darren Till fight, but hopefully I’ll get ‘Cowboy’ [Donald Cerrone] or Jorge Masvidal on that DC-Stipe card. That’s my aim now.

How disappointed were you not to headline against Till?

I’m happy to go wherever. It would have been good to get that fight down the road and I would have been back for Sunday dinner. It would have been amazing, but Till didn’t want that fight. I’m back on my own journey and focused on getting top 10 guys. Everyone else is booked up in the top 10, so I wasn’t going to get on that Liverpool card anyway. I’ll just wait until July.

Does being on a long winning streak make you even more motivated to train hard and maintain it?

I just want to keep chipping away with my teammates and keep winning. Top 15 doesn’t mean anything to me. Number one is the only position I want to be in. I’ll keep improving and keep working hard, because if I go out there and lose my next fight, then what? I’ve always been motivated, I never want to lose fights. I’m just getting my feet wet in the UFC and I’ll keep proving myself in the next fight and the fight after. I’ll get to that gold belt.

How long do you think it will take to get there?

It’s feeling like I’ll have to fight every person in the top 10 (laughs). Darren Till got Cerrone and made a big jump. I’m pushing for number six – Masvidal. That’s a big fight and will prove my case.

Would you accept another fight if it gave you the chance to be in a Fight Night main event?

Not if they’re outside the top 15. I choked Albert Tumenov out when he was number 13 in the world. At some point, I need to move up and get bigger fights. As long as he’s a big name and in the top 15, I’m good to go.

Has your recent success made you more well-known in the UK?

Oh yeah. The support now is mad, especially in Birmingham. You’ve got me, my brother and Tom Breese. It’s good to see the sport growing in my city. I came from nothing so it’s good to see people acknowledging my hard work and seeing what I’m doing. I’d love to bring the UFC back to Birmingham and headline. That’s one of my dreams.