Roger Huerta believes MMA approach got too spiritual, embraces grind once again

Roger Huerta knows something needs to change if he’s going to turn his career around.

The MMA veteran is switching things up in hopes to snap a three-fight skid that marks his second Bellator run. Among the several changes Huerta (24-12-1 MMA, 1-5 BMMA) is implementing, his mentality and approach to fighting remains at the top of the list.

“My head, man, it’s just my head,” Huerta told MMA Junkie. “I have to get out of my head and let my, I went to some places and like I was going to temples and a lot of things last year. It was a little too strange and eventually now I’m just going back to how I was as an athlete.

“I’ve been in athletics since I was 13. I played football, I ran track and filed, I wrestled in middle school, high school, college and then I started fighting. So I’m just going back to that and basically just being in the driver’s seat knowing I can do this.”

Huerta believes he got too spiritual and holistic in his approach to MMA, and he’s now going back to his roots and embracing the grind.

The change in mentality came after his most recent defeat – a unanimous decision loss to Sidney Outlaw back in November at Bellator 234. Huerta felt his skills didn’t translate into the fight and feels he’s a much better fighter than what he showed that night.

“It was literally right after my last performance, it was one of the weirdest, strange times of my life,” Huerta said. “I just, (expletive), man, I felt like an amateur. I was like, ‘What was that?’ I don’t know it was weird. It was just really a strange thing and hopefully those would understand like, ‘Hey, give him a freebie and let him do his thing.’ I’m just asking for that.”

The UFC, ONE Championship, and Bellator veteran wants to make sure he doesn’t come off like he’s discrediting his opponent, but he feels his performance was subpar that night in Tel Aviv. Huerta said he just couldn’t pull the trigger.

Apart from thinking it’s a mental hurdle he needs to address, Huerta doesn’t discard the idea that he might’ve came back too soon from a shoulder surgery he had to undergo after getting in a motorcycle accident.

“This wasn’t mentioned before, but I was in a motorbike crash and I had surgery on my shoulder,” Huerta added. “It was kind of weak as well, so maybe I was gun shy from that, but I would say psychologically it was really strange too. It was odd. Not to take anything away from my opponent, or the guys who have beat me, but I just know mentally I haven’t been there yet, but I will be.”

Following the defeat in November, Huerta changed training camps. He’s still training out of Phuket, Thailand, but he’s no longer with Tiger Muay Thai. There was no beef or ill will in his departure from the team, Huerta just wanted to hit the reset button and start fresh.

The 36-year-old will be mixing his training in different gyms, but plans to make Absolute MMA one of his primary gyms. Huerta will stick to competing at 155 pounds.

Despite being deep into his 30s and having a lengthy run in combat sports, Huerta is confident he can turn things around. He takes inspiration in UFC middleweight Yoel Romero, who at age 43 is still contenting for championship belts.

“Man, I look at a guy like Yoel Romero for example, and if this guy is still at this, and obviously I’m not comparing myself to Yoel Romero – he’s an Olympian and what not – but he is human,” Huerta said. “So I look at a guy like that and he’s motivating me to continue training, stay discipline, eat right. Of course I do cheat a bit with some pizza and some pastries here and there, but I don’t drink alcohol I haven’t had alcohol in four years now. So yeah, I just stay discipline.”

Huerta know it’s not easy to become champion, especially at his age. However, he still has that goal in mind and believes maybe his past hiccups have come from forgetting on what his ultimate goal is in this sport.

“Obviulsy the title is what keeps me going,” Huerta said. “Achieving that belt and and becoming a world champion – that’s what I want. I started to go back into why I’m doing this and it was that I wanted to be a world champion. I just steered off that and now I’m back on that path. That’s what keeps me going and hopefully I get to achive that. If not, I gave it my best.”