Issue 198

August 2023

Fighters Only's Simon Head catches up with England's Bellator lightweight contender Saul Rogers as "The Hangman" lifts the lid on his downtime...

What have been your go-to TV shows lately?

"The Power." I forget the season, but it's the new one, anyway. I don't watch too much TV, I'm more of a movie guy.

What’s your all-time favorite show to watch?

Probably "Peaky Blinders."

Give us your all-time top five movies to take to a desert island

"Friday" and "Next Friday" would definitely be in there. I haven't watched them in a very long time, but I grew up on that stuff. "Training Day" with Denzel, that's not too bad. You need two more? This is hard! "American Gangster" would probably be in there. But anything cheesy, I like, too. You know what? Those old "Fast and Furious" ones, one and two, from back in the day. They'd be in there, too!

Do you watch other sports? What are you into?

I'd probably say I like jiu-jitsu. It's probably all going to be MMA related. Let me have a think. Gymnastics is good to watch. Diving, too! I like running, sprinting. I'm trying to think of some others. Cornhole! That's a sport in America now. I like playing that! That's the number one sport! My family is football mad. My dad used to take us to football every single week, but I was like the outcast of the family because I wasn't interested in it!

What about pro wrestling? It's more sports entertainment than sport, but...

What? WWE? I LOVE WWE! I love that sort of stuff. I grew up when it was the WWF. Gangster. Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, The Undertaker. If that was on my telly, that would be on, for sure.

What are you driving these days?

A BMW X1. Nothing fancy.

Dream car/motorcycle?

D'you know the Jeep Wrangler four-door, the one you can take the doors off? That's my dream. A spanking, greyish, kitted-out, leathered-up one of those. 

Actually, if we're talking dream cars, it has to be the G-Wagon Mercedes, actually, because that's like the next level up. The AMG Mercedes G-Wagon. That'd be the dream car. 

Tell us about your walkout music.

The one I stuck with, right from the beginning, was "The Boss," by James Brown. "Pay the cost to be the boss!" But now I've started coming out to "Freed From Desire" by Gala. I had that one in France and the crowd was all giving me the thumbs down and booing me. But that'll probably be my song forever, "Freed From Desire."

Do you have a playlist you listen to when you’re warming up? What’s on it?

He's an English rapper, called Potter Payper. I listen to all of his stuff. If I'm driving, that's probably all that's on in the car. Like, 95 percent of the time, I'm listening to him.

And what sort of stuff do you listen to when you’re at home chilling out?

Potter Payper, ha! The family hates it, but I love it! I like rap, 2Pac, Biggie. But I do like my dance tracks, too. I'm a raver at heart. I used to be a raver when I was younger. 

What’s your guilty pleasure when it comes to music or movies?

Music... my missus always has Celine Dion on, so maybe that. Do you know how many different versions of "My Heart Will Go On" I've heard. I must have listened to every live version she's ever done. We were supposed to go and see her, actually. It's not someone I would ever play on my own, but when she's on I'll probably sing along in the house.

The guilty pleasure film, and it's down to the missus again, is "The Notebook." That's a good film.

Are you a gamer? What video games do you play?

Chess. I'm old-school, me. If the kids are playing Mario Kart, I'll jump on. I jump on for the old-school games, like Street Fighter. I got my son Mortal Kombat – wow! He's six, but the game was an 18. I couldn't believe the game was actually an 18, but I played a couple of games and brother, it was ruthless!

But, if I was playing a game, I'd probably be playing chess.

Do you have any hobbies or interests people might be surprised to hear?

I do like camping, to be fair. I don't get to camp a lot, but I like camping. Chess, I play a lot of chess. I've been to chess club a few times.

Perfect pre-fight meal

I'd probably say chicken and rice. Boring! Grilled chicken and rice, with a little bit of sweet chilli sauce on the side, maybe. And then some chocolate. Just a little bit, for the sugar. I like a Cadbury's Dairy Milk bar, but just a couple of squares just to give me that sugar. 

Perfect post-fight meal

Post-fight, a full-fat Coke, even though I don't really like it, and a big old double cheeseburger and chips.