Rolling deep: Ray Cooper III ready to reward those around him with PFL 2019 title

Ray Cooper III doesn’t want to let “it” happen again.

In the 2018 PFL welterweight tournament, Cooper made his presence known on the national scene. A relative unknown, he worked his way through the regular season and into the playoffs.

Eventually, Cooper worked his way to the PFL 2018 Championship final, when he took on surging Magomed Magomedkerimov. Last New Year’s Eve, Cooper’s storybook ending was spoiled. The Hawaiian was submitted by guillotine choke in Round 2 their championship fight in New York.

Cooper had 12 months to think about what went wrong. He was so close to earning $1 million in 2018, but unfortunately, close doesn’t count. Redemption has served as a motivating factor for Cooper, who has once again worked his way to the verge of tournament victory.

“I’m feeling good,” Cooper told MMA Junkie. “I just finished up on my hard training. I can’t wait to get out there and rewrite a wrong that I had last year. And here we are.”

At PFL 2019 Championship, Cooper takes on a new face, former UFC fighter David Michaud. The event takes place Tuesday at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The card will air on ESPN2.

“I wanted to challenge the same guy I lost to in the final last year. I was going to challenge him in the playoffs, but obviously he couldn’t continue,” Cooper said of Magomedkerimov, who had to pull out during the playoffs. I don’t know what happened, but I guess it had to do with the fighting two times in one night. It’s not easy and only the strong survive. I guess he wasn’t that strong that night.

“All in all, I’m just looking forward to fighting David and winning that title. And winning that big pay day.”

Since the start of his MMA career, Cooper has always pointed his family and friends as major motivators of his hunger for success. Cooper hopes to pocket the $1 million not just for himself, but for all of those who lifted him up over the years.

“It would mean a lot with my financial state,” Cooper said. “It would put me up there and be a means to take care of my family. Just my mom, my dad, my wife, my kids, my training partners, my brothers – it would mean a lot for them to be stable. It’ll be good.”

When Cooper travels to a fight, he doesn’t come alone. If you don’t believe him, just take a listen when he steps into the cage on Dec. 31. It likely won’t take long for his cheering contingent to make its presence known.

“My family is everything to me,” Cooper said. “I grew up in a small town, so I only have my family and my brothers. They did everything for me and would always check up on me. The least I can do is pay it back to them and give them all they want. It’s a real tight bond.

“When I go somewhere to fight, my whole family comes with me. I roll deep. It’s a blessing to have my family with me.”

After last year’s final, the misery of a loss was paired with lessons learned. This year, he hopes to put the “controlled” in “controlled aggression.”

“I won’t be so aggressive coming out,” Cooper said. “I’ll be more patient, seeing what the guy has. But I’ll be aggressive when I need to be. That’s pretty much the only thing. I’m still going to be super aggressive, just at different times.”

Win or lose, Cooper will continue fighting on. Even if he earns the $1 million prize, Cooper wants to compete until he can’t physically compete any longer. Fighting isn’t just fighting for Cooper, it’s a way of life.

“This is a lifestyle for me,” Cooper said. “I’m going to fight until I can’t fight no more. I’m just going to keep fighting. I’ll win this next one and then I’m going to train for the next one. I’ll keep winning every year.”