Canada’s Top Light Heavyweight? Hollett Thinks So
Chris Harding Aug 23, 2007
"The Hulk" Roger Hollett
(Pictures) is undefeated, sporting a
record of 6-0. More impressively, he has yet to see the second
round in his career. This Friday, Hollett faces his stiffest test
to date when he takes on UFC veteran "The Matrix" Victor Valimaki (Pictures) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for
the Maximum Fighting Championship's light heavyweight title.
Sherdog.com spoke briefly with "The Hulk" leading up to his title clash with Valimaki, in which the status as Canada's top 205-pounder will also be on the line.
Sherdog.com: Can you reintroduce
yourself to fans with a little background, how you became involved
in combat sports and what led you to competing in MMA?
Roger Hollett (Pictures): My father was a boxer and I had a couple amateur boxing matches when I was a kid. When I was 19, a friend got me involved in jiu-jitsu and MMA. I've been a jiu-jitsu blue belt for about eight years now. Then, I wanted to fight in the ECC's first show, and that was in April of 2006.
Sherdog.com: How has your training been leading up to your fight with Valimaki, and what kind of shape are you in?
RH: Training has been really good. I have no injuries. I'm in great shape and I feel good.
RH: I'm with my normal team. I train with Peter Martell and Kevin Taylor at Titans MMA.
Sherdog.com: What's an example of a regular training day, prior to peaking?
RH: A normal day might start with plyometrics, no heavy weights. Spinning. Running. The intense cardio might last about an hour. Then some MMA sparring, then Thai pads, bag work, and wrestling.
Sherdog.com: What are you currently weighing and what do you expect your fighting weight to be?
RH: I'm 218 right now, and I'll probably put on about eight pounds after the weigh in, so 213.
Sherdog.com: What do you consider Valimaki's greatest weakness and how will you exploit it?
RH: He's well rounded, but he's known to not be able to take a shot. He can be hurt with a shot. I'm going to exploit that by trying to stay on my feet.
Sherdog.com: What do you consider is Valimaki's greatest strength, and how will you counter it?
RH: He's a wrestler; if he gets you down he'll cause you some trouble. He has good stand up too, but I've been training my wrestling and takedown defense a lot.
Sherdog.com: What would you say is your greatest strength or advantage in this fight? RH: I like to slug it out. I'm comfortable on my feet and on the ground. I like to put on a good show for the fans.
Sherdog.com: What is your prediction for this fight?
RH: I want the knockout of the night again.
Sherdog.com: What does a win over Valimaki mean for you and for your career?
RH: It's for the number one 205'er in Canada. Being number one in Canada is very interesting to me.
Sherdog.com: Why do you hate second and third rounds so much?
RH: (laughs)
Sherdog.com: What do you attribute to your explosiveness? What is going through your mind when the opening bell rings?
RH: I feel him out pretty quick, pick up on his tendencies. Watching tapes helps; I've watched some fights on Victor, and if I can exploit some of those tendencies, it will probably be a short night.
Sherdog.com: What can we expect to see from you in the future?
RH: More first rounders. The main goal is to fight in a major organization like the UFC. The UFC has not contacted me yet, so I want to keep testing myself.
Sherdog.com spoke briefly with "The Hulk" leading up to his title clash with Valimaki, in which the status as Canada's top 205-pounder will also be on the line.
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Roger Hollett (Pictures): My father was a boxer and I had a couple amateur boxing matches when I was a kid. When I was 19, a friend got me involved in jiu-jitsu and MMA. I've been a jiu-jitsu blue belt for about eight years now. Then, I wanted to fight in the ECC's first show, and that was in April of 2006.
Sherdog.com: How has your training been leading up to your fight with Valimaki, and what kind of shape are you in?
RH: Training has been really good. I have no injuries. I'm in great shape and I feel good.
Sherdog.com: Tell us a little about
your training camp.
RH: I'm with my normal team. I train with Peter Martell and Kevin Taylor at Titans MMA.
Sherdog.com: What's an example of a regular training day, prior to peaking?
RH: A normal day might start with plyometrics, no heavy weights. Spinning. Running. The intense cardio might last about an hour. Then some MMA sparring, then Thai pads, bag work, and wrestling.
Sherdog.com: What are you currently weighing and what do you expect your fighting weight to be?
RH: I'm 218 right now, and I'll probably put on about eight pounds after the weigh in, so 213.
Sherdog.com: What do you consider Valimaki's greatest weakness and how will you exploit it?
RH: He's well rounded, but he's known to not be able to take a shot. He can be hurt with a shot. I'm going to exploit that by trying to stay on my feet.
Sherdog.com: What do you consider is Valimaki's greatest strength, and how will you counter it?
RH: He's a wrestler; if he gets you down he'll cause you some trouble. He has good stand up too, but I've been training my wrestling and takedown defense a lot.
Sherdog.com: What would you say is your greatest strength or advantage in this fight? RH: I like to slug it out. I'm comfortable on my feet and on the ground. I like to put on a good show for the fans.
Sherdog.com: What is your prediction for this fight?
RH: I want the knockout of the night again.
Sherdog.com: What does a win over Valimaki mean for you and for your career?
RH: It's for the number one 205'er in Canada. Being number one in Canada is very interesting to me.
Sherdog.com: Why do you hate second and third rounds so much?
RH: (laughs)
Sherdog.com: What do you attribute to your explosiveness? What is going through your mind when the opening bell rings?
RH: I feel him out pretty quick, pick up on his tendencies. Watching tapes helps; I've watched some fights on Victor, and if I can exploit some of those tendencies, it will probably be a short night.
Sherdog.com: What can we expect to see from you in the future?
RH: More first rounders. The main goal is to fight in a major organization like the UFC. The UFC has not contacted me yet, so I want to keep testing myself.
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