LAS VEGAS – UFC newcomer Max Roshkopf was always expected to end up competing in the octagon, so when the call finally came, he didn’t let himself get too worked up.
“I was excited, but I’m not going to really be happy until I get in there and get my first win and start accomplishing what I’ve been setting out to do, and that’s never been just to get to the UFC but to thrive in the UFC,” Roshkopf told MMA Junkie. “Everyone was super excited. I’m just kind of like, ‘I’ve got work to do. I don’t really have time to be excited.’”
Rohskopf (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) earned his UFC invite by agreeing to step up on one week’s notice to face Austin Hubbard (11-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 11 event, which takes place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The two kick off the night’s broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+.
The 25-year-old Roshkopf has been touted as a top prospect since his professional debut. Training previously with Xtreme Couture and now exclusively under Robert Drysdale, Roshkopf slick grappling abilities have earned him five first-round submissions in his first five trips to the cage.
In March, MMA Junkie featured him as an athlete likely to compete at Dana White’s Contender Series, but now he’s moving straight into the UFC, instead.
Roshkopf said he knows the type of expectations that surround him – and in no small part because he feels exactly the same – and that it doesn’t any burden to the appearance.
“I definitely feel the added pressure, but I’ve felt that – and I kind of put that on myself – but I felt that for all my fights, and I’m really good at being able to warm up an hour or two before and once I start getting into my fight mode, that kind of goes away,” Rohskopf said. “I haven’t felt that in any of my fights. I definitely feel it just walking around day to day.”
Roshkopf said he didn’t care what opponent was being offered when the call came and that he told his manager, Brian Butler of SuckerPunch Entertainment, to sign him up, regardless. However, it turned out to be a name with whom he was somewhat familiar.
“He was LFA champ when I was signed to LFA, so I knew who he was and stuff,” Rohskopf said. “I trained with Mark O. Madsen a little bit, so I watched him fight Mark O. Madsen. I follow jiu-jitsu a lot, too, so I watched him fight Davi Ramos, but I haven’t went back and watched anything. I’ve been leaving that to my coaches. I know he’s tough and he’s game.
“Obviously, for anyone who’s 5-0, coming into the UFC, nothing is going to be a gimme fight. This is going to be a tough challenge for me, and if I’m able to get a finish, especially with a submission, I think that’s going to say a lot.”
It’s certainly the biggest opportunity of Rohskopf’s career to date, and one that he doesn’t take lightly, but it’s hardly the goal. The former North Carolina State University wrestler is ready to make good on the prospect label he’s carried through his impressive start.
He insists he’s ready for the moment, even as he continues to put in the work.
“I’ve got to be able to go 15, but just with my skillset, I’m able to get finishes with my jiu-jitsu and my wrestling and stuff,” Rohskopf said. “So if that comes, it comes, but I’m going to be ready for 15 minutes, man. This isn’t a gimme. Hubbard’s a tough dude.
“I might do some weird sh-t you haven’t seen before. It’s going to be exciting.”
Max Rohskopf says UFC invite was no time to get excited: 'I've got work to do'