mixed martial arts bob sapp and genki sudo interview

Roli Delgado made an immediate impact in his first fight in the UK by defeating British champ, Neil McLeod at Extreme Brawl. We were lucky to ask the Crazy Cuban a few questions:

Stats:

DOB- 11/22/81
Born San Diego CA
Fighting out of North Little Rock Arkansas. U.S. A
Weight/height - 6"3 145lbs
Coach : Danny Dring, Matt Hamilton, and Toni Emanuel
Manager : Danny Dring
Fight record in pro MMA : 3-0 as a pro. 9-0-1 as an Amateur 135 Danger Zone Amateur champion and Ultimate Reality Combat Champion at 155.

SFUK : What do you think of the UK? Was it your first time?

Roli Delgado : This was my first trip to the UK and Europe in general. I really enjoyed myself mostly because it didn't feel much different than home. I was able to surf the underground, email family, and hang out with some of Americas future stars. I had to make weight so I didn't get to try the "fish and chips". All the fighters from the UK were true gentlemen. The sportsmanship impressed me a lot.

SFUK : What were you impressions of the Extreme Brawl event and how does it compare to the ones you have been to in the US?

Roli Delgado :Extreme Brawl seems to be a great organization. There were no surprises. The money, weigh in's and event in general all went as it was supposed to. Andy gave us free sweat shirts and had some tasty sandwiches, chips and drinks in the room where we were warming up. I have fought for a few promoters and promotions but Extreme Brawl definitely impressed me the most. Extreme Brawl seems to have a loyal following. The fans were intense and seemed to be more involved then some of the shows here in the U.S. I have nothing but good memories from Extreme Brawl. Finally I would like to thank Natasha and Kevin with Extreme Brawl for taking care of all of us during the whole trip. They made me feel like Royalty ( no pun intended).:)

SFUK : What do you think of the standard of the fighters you saw? Especially our howegrown ones?

Roli Delgado :Unfortunately I only got to see the Americans fight. I don't watch too many before my fights because I need time to focus. What I saw in the last three fights impressed me. English fighters really LOVE to fight. I had heard that they weren't as technical as Americans on the ground and that was true in Matt Shaw and Kyle Jensons fights. Although, I train with the best jiujistu teachers like Andre Pedernairis, Toni Emanuel, Danny Dring and Matt Hamilton. When I was attacking Neil he did all the same defenses that they teach. The way he was trying to pass my guard and defend the triangles was very technical. So I think that there is a lot of talent and technique in the UK but it is too spread out. I think in a few years the UK will be a strong force in NHB.

SFUK : Why "the pink"? ;+) (reference to his pink wrestling singlet)

Roli Delgado :My trainer and main sparring partner is Matt Hamilton. He wore the first Pink Singlet in NHB fighting. As I was coming up as a amateur fighter he decided to pass the tradition to me since I was doing so well. Once I fought in it and got to hear how much the crowd loved it I decided to keep wearing it. The thing is people love to hate it and I love the attention.

SFUK : Did you know much about Neil McLeod before the fight?

Roli Delgado :I had done some research on the web. I read that he was a tuff fighter who could take a punch and had a huge fan base. I read one article about him slamming out of arm bars and triangles. After reading that I trained specifically to counter the slams. After the fight Neil said he couldn't stand up from the triangle.

SFUK : Describe the fight to us. It seemed you were singularly chasing the triangle.

Roli Delgado :Well, I wanted to make a splash so I opened up with a flying knee. I over shot it though and at one point I was in the air looking down to see if I hit him. I didn't and he took me down and got me against the fence. This was my first time against a fence and it sucked. I did work for the triangle because it is my best move. He played very defensively and so I kept aggressing since it was stopping him from playing a ground and pound kind of game. So I use my guard aggressively because I don't want to get hit. Well he defended very well but I managed to get the triangle. He had his elbow out and I couldn't pull it back in. So I under hooked his leg and swept him. I did this just enough because I knew he would come back to his knees and in doing so would sink himself in the triangle. So he did that and then I got side ways and hugged his body (a trick for tall people that was developed by Matt Hamilton). Once I get my arms around the body NO BODY escapes.

SFUK : Will you come back and fight?

Roli Delgado : Andy said he would like to bring me back so of course I will come back. I had a great time. I would like to bring back my own corner guy though. It feels weird fighting without your trainer there.

SFUK : Thanks Roli, take care and have a great 2003