George Roop – Ready for UFC 137 & Hatsu Hioki
By Dave Carpinello
This weekend at UFC 137 BJ Penn faces Nick Diaz in what could be the fight of the year but another fight, also on the pay-per-view portion of the card may steal that spotlight. In PunchDrunkGamer’s Match-Up of the Night international star Hatsu Hioki (24-4-2) makes his long-awaited UFC debut against George Roop (12-7-1). Hioki enters the UFC as a Sengoku tournament finalist, former Shooto champion, former Sengoku champion, and former TKO champion. Roop enters the Octagon for his sixth UFC appearance and looks to silence any talk that he can’t hang with big boys in the UFC 145lb division.
George Roop took some time before his upcoming fight to talk with PDG about the match-up with Hioki, training in Tucson, the death of his coach Shawn Tompkins, UFC expansion, wrecking people online in video games and more.
PDG: Let’s start with the main event Saturday night, who do think will win – BJ Penn or Nick Diaz?
George Roop: I think that Diaz will finish Penn by TKO. I can’t tell you what round but Diaz is the bigger welterweight and he will use that to win this fight.
PDG: Ok, let’s get to your fight on Saturday night. With just a couple of days left, how are you feeling?
George Roop: I feel great man, I have great energy, my spirits are high and I am riding some good momentum going into this fight. I feel like I have done everything that I need to do in my preparations leading up till now to win this fight.
PDG: Weigh-ins are tomorrow; how close are you to the target weight?
George Roop: Very close, I woke up at 153lbs yesterday and did a little bit of cutting. To be honest I could have just gone to the sauna and cut and I would have felt good afterwards. My weight is definitely not going to be an issue going into this fight. It was nice always being ahead of schedule because I was able to eat real food and so I feel great.
PDG: With the recent death of Shawn Tompkins; what adjustments to your training did you make?
George Roop: Yeah, I had to change some things up including moving my fight camp down to Tucson, Arizona over at APEX Mixed Martial Arts. I brought in the best jiu-jitsu guys I could find and in addition to that I have been working hard on my ground game with some top-caliber wrestlers. I feel like I have done everything I needed to do in training and I am ready for this fight. Shawn Tompkins will be there with me as an extra corner man and my only hope is that I can make him proud.
PDG: Did you make the choice to move your camp to Tucson before or after Coach Tompkins passed?
George Roop: The decision was made before-hand because I am not only a full-time fighter but I am also a full-time father and I have a hot, little sugar momma that has a great paying job. She is great, pays a lot of the bills and so I watch the kids during the day while she is at work and then I train at night.
PDG: Sounds like a good situation.
George Roop: It is amazing!
PDG: Your opponent Hatsu Hioki is the former TKO featherweight champion, SHOOTO lightweight champion and Sengoku featherweight champion; what do you think of him as an opponent?
George Roop: I think that Hioki is a great opponent for me and it is challenge for me that I am happy taking. I think that in order to win this fight I will have to fight the best fight of my career. He is a wizard on the ground, he has good judo trips and takedowns, he has fought in five round wars and he has fought some high caliber opponents… but I will be ready and I am confident in my preparation going into this fight. It is definitely going to be an exciting fight because both of us are fast paced fighters that like to bring the action to the fans.
PDG: Do you think it will be to your advantage that you have had several fights in the cage and this will be his Octagon debut?
George Roop: Absolutely, I think that he will be a little bit out of his element when he gets in the cage. It is very different (as opposed to a ring) when it comes to getting takedowns and takedown defense not to mention getting back to your feet when someone puts you into the cage. I know how to work the cage to my advantage and I train in one everyday. I think he has fought in a cage once during his career and I plan on utilizing my experience in the cage to take advantage in this fight.
PDG: Not to mention that this will be his UFC debut?
George Roop: Yeah I know he has fought for some big organizations in Japan but there isn’t anything bigger than UFC… the UFC is the super-bowl of mixed martial arts. So I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a little bit of shock factor but I am not relying on any of that. I am taking this fight very seriously and I am relying on my training; you win fights in the gym with your training.
PDG: There have been wholesale changes in the MMA landscape over the last year; what are your thoughts on the influx of fighters entering the UFC from the WEC, Japan and Strikeforce?
George Roop: It is great, it is awesome and I think that there are a lot of great match-ups out there now that can be made. It is a change from the past as in that there isn’t so much of the same guys fighting each other repeatedly. I think it is cool and even better is some of the bigger names moving down to 145lbs; it makes for some interesting fights and I can’t wait to be a part of that.
PDG: What about the UFC making the deal with FOX?
George Roop: It is very exciting and I was just talking with one of my corner men yesterday about it. I think that once the UFC debuts on FOX it is going to make the sport blow up even more than it has in the last couple of years. MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world right now and once the UFC hits network television it will open up to a whole new set of fans and demographics.
PDG: Back to your MMA career; you have been up, down, up, down, win, lose, win, lose etc; What have you been doing differently leading up to this fight to be more consistent in your MMA career?
George Roop: Well to prepare for this fight I spent the other night beating everyone in the UFC Undisputed 3 game with the George Roop character [laughs]. In all seriousness now I brought in some great training partners to help me. As a fighter I am still growing, getting more experience and I feel that I am going to be hitting the prime of my mixed martial arts career within the next two years. Getting on a winning streak will be great for me, I have had loss, win, draw, loss, win, loss… you know. It is frustrating but I also don’t fight turds. If you look at my record under the Zuffa banner, at the time that I fought those guys they were all top 10 fighters in the world so I don’t fight turds. I don’t ask to fight turds, I want to fight the best in the world and not some tomato can.
PDG: Speaking of video games have you been playing at all during training?
George Roop: I did get a chance to whoop up on some Killzone 3 but I am very excited to actually play UFC Undisputed 3. I am very honored to be in the game because of how many fighters they could have chosen besides me.
PDG: Yeah, I was going to ask how excited you were when you heard you were on the roster.
George Roop: Very excited, ecstatic is a better word. I am officially immortal now, I can’t be killed now. Once the game comes out I won’t need to go to the gym anymore because I will be able to just train in my man-cave playing UFC Undisputed 3. Mission Accomplished – I am in a video game.
PDG: Once you get done with your fight against Hioki are you looking forward to playing any games that have been recently released or that are coming soon?
George Roop: I have yet to play Gears of War 3.
PDG: It is fucking awesome.
George Roop: Yeah, I can’t wait to play it but I needed to take care of the fight preparation and the family heading into this weekend. After I take care of business Saturday, I am going to dedicate myself to whooping that game, get online and run a training camp!
PDG: Thanks again for taking the time George, is there anything you wanted to add?
George Roop: I’d like to give a shout out to some people. I want to thank all of my teammates from all over and also my family who have been so supportive and last but not least I would like to thank myself because I make it all possible.
