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Karl Roberson fought it out with a cut eyelid at UFC Fight Night 163 in Moscow, when he went up against Russian native Roman Kopylov on Saturday night.
There were only 59 seconds left in the Middleweight preliminary card fight when Roberson submitted his opponent with a rear-naked choke and added another win to his current streak. His previous victory was against Wellington Turman at UFC Fight Night 155 via Split Decision.
MMA Junkie reported on what Roberson had to say about his gameplan for Kopylov.
Roberson: Where I'm from, we don't quit
While speaking backstage after the fight, Roberson seemed pretty satisfied with the way he performed in the Octagon.
“My performance came out the way I wanted it to. We were going to stand there and bang. We were in his home town and we knew he was going to stand there and bring it to me, so I had to meet him. I came to him the same way he came. (He was) 8-0 – everybody’s looking for it, so I had to stop the hype train.”
'Baby K' went on to admit that Kopylov adopted a different style of fighting than he had expected. The Russian took a different approach of standing his ground and striking with combinations that just bouncing and slipping like he usually does, according to Roberson. He even managed to deliver a vicious eye-poke to Roberson and drew literal blood, which was later inspected by a doctor but was given a pass.
“The rest of the way (after the eye poke) was just go time because he hit me (and) I really couldn’t see anything. But where I’m from, Jersey, we don’t quit. It don’t matter if one eye or no eyes, I’m gonna stand there and bang. And I knew when he threw that first jab-cross and I couldn’t see it, it was time to change levels and show my experience.”
Clearly, the bruise only made Roberson more determined, as he changed his fighting approach as well and put up an impressive show to clinch the victory.
Roberson wants a top-15 fight
The 29-year-old American believes he has proved himself enough to deserve fights with top-ranked contenders.
“I believe I deserve a top-ranked opponent – hopefully top 15. I’m looking to go up and start picking off some top names and start making my name a household name in this division.”
But the fighter is in no rush to on his way up there, as he is ready to fight anyone who shares his principles about fighting. He named Eryk Anders as an example, who is also a fighter from Roberson's hometown, New Jersey.
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