BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Now in his third UFC fight week, lightweight Roosevelt Roberts is starting to feel right at home.
At Thursday’s UFC on ESPN 3 media day, Roberts spoke to reporters, including MMA Junkie, about adjusting to the biggest stage in MMA.
“I just like the experience,” Roberts said. “I always like the experience. The experience is amazing. Coming out here and being taken care of. It’s once in a lifetime. A lot of people fight, but a lot of people don’t make it to the UFC. I’m just getting used to this.”
In his first two UFC appearances, Roberts defeated Darrell Horcher and Thomas Gifford. The latter matchup was Roberts’s first time reaching the judges’ scorecards.
“The only real lesson I can say is just to be a little more patient,” Roberts said. “There were a couple times I hit him and I could have stepped back and hit him again, but instead I just went for a takedown. It’s just being more calm and not just trying to rush in for the takedown.”
Although Roberts recognizes the necessity of going to the distance in certain instances, the 6-foot-1 lightweight isn’t a fan of doing so.
“I ain’t like it at all,” Roberts said. “I’ll go back to my corner and be like, ‘Damn, I’m still fighting.’ I don’t like it, but if I’ve got to do it, I’ve got to do it.”
The back-to-back wins resulted in the UFC pairing Roberts (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) with veteran lightweight Vinc Pichel Saturday at UFC on ESPN 3.
“I think he does the same thing that everybody does,” Roberts said, of Pichel. He’s very basic. Hits hard and comes forward. Likes to throw leg kicks (and) body kicks. So we’re ready for it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s going to be a tough fight. I’m not saying it’s going to be an easy fight or it’s going to be a walk in the park. But I don’t think he’s going to bring anything I haven’t seen before.
“GoGetta” remarked he felt Pichel (11-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) was an ideal step up in competition to reach that goal. With another win, Roberts hopes his name will stick out in the crowded lightweight division.
“I like that my name is being mentioned,” Roberts said. “This lightweight division is a very packed and stacked division. Obviously, they got a lot of good guys. But I’m just worried about one opponent at a time.”
UFC on ESPN 3 takes place Saturday at Target Center in Minneapolis. The card airs on ESPN.
For more on UFC on ESPN 3, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
