Entering UFC on ESPN 9 fight week, Roosevelt Roberts has it all mapped out.
His focus is to defeat Brok Weaver on Saturday – that’s first and foremost. However, there’s another name that’s (still) in the back of Roberts’ mind: Matt Frevola.
The two lightweight fighters were scheduled to meet April 25 in Lincoln, Neb., but the event was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike many of the other canceled fights, the matchup was not preserved. Roberts (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) was instead booked against Weaver (15-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Frevola was paired up with Frank Camacho for a fight on June 20.
“It could have (happened), but (Frevola) wanted a little more time, like three or four more weeks,” Roberts told MMA Junkie on Monday. “We’ve already been training for this fight since February. We were supposed to fight in April, but it got pushed back. In my head, I’m like, ‘I don’t want to keep going, keep waiting for you to be ready. I’m ready now. We could have fought this week.’”
With a win, Roberts indicated he’ll name-drop Frevola in the post-fight interview. He’s not mad at Frevola for passing on a short-notice rebooking but is still eager for the matchup to come to fruition.
“We could have fought next week,” Roberts said. “We could’ve fought on the undercard. We didn’t have to push it back three or four more weeks, but I don’t blame him. Whatever it is with the whole COVID-19 thing, I know he’s over there in New York and it’s probably crazy. I don’t blame him, but after this fight, I’m definitely going to call him out again. I’m looking forward to that fight.”
Before Frevola however, Roberts will have to get through Weaver, a signee from Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 3 in 2019. Weaver made his promotional debut at UFC on ESPN+ 25 in February. He won when his opponent, Kazula Vargas, was disqualified for a fight-ending illegal knee.
“(Weaver) is tough,” Roberts said. “He’s a tough dude who likes to brawl. I’m not worried. I’m going to go in there and do my thing, no matter who they put me in there with. No matter who they put on the contract, we’re going to go in there and handle business. I think it’s going to be a great fight.
“He’s definitely got the gift of gab, that’s for sure. When we get in there, they’re ain’t going to be no more talking. There’s going to be these fists thrown. … I’m going to go in there and get the knockout or definitely a submission.”
UFC on ESPN 9 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
Check out MMA Junkie’s full UFC on ESPN 9 pre-fight interview with Roosevelt Roberts in the video above.
Roosevelt Roberts' UFC on ESPN 9 plan: Finish Brok Weaver, call out Matt Frevola
