Q&A with Jacob Rosales: Contender series, fight shorts and LFA 87
Lightweight contender Jacob Rosales spoke with MyMMANews ahead of his championship fight against Bryce Logan at LFA 87.
Around this time last year, Jacob Rosales appeared on an episode of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series in a lightweight contest against Jonathan Pearce. Rosales was the slight favorite heading into the fight and expectations were high, but the result from that night was not what Rosales wanted. After being stopped in the third round by Pearce and missing out on his initial opportunity to get into the UFC, Rosales needed to take some time away to care for some injuries before heading back onto the fight scene. He would return to Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) six months later and pick up a win over Salaiman Ahmadyar at LFA 81.
Now, Rosales is gearing up for a fight against Bryce Logan at LFA 87 for the vacant lightweight title. He spoke to MyMMANews about the upcoming fight, his last appearance and the controversy that stemmed from it.
Kristen King: We saw you in Contender Series last year and it did not go your way. You returned to LFA a couple of months later. What was that like for you?
Jacob Rosales: I felt like I had something to prove, I guess. The whole Contender Series fight just left a bitter taste in my mouth because of everything that happened. And you know you’re only as good as your last fight, so that’s how I thought people viewed it. Like, ‘Oh he just got finished’ and that’s what people think of me. So, I felt like going in there and fighting a guy who missed weight and fights at a bigger weight class, I had to show that I’m still that dude. So, yeah. I was really excited and just felt like I had to prove something.
KK: The fight in Contender Series was your first time being stopped by punches. What was your reaction to that?
JR: Well, I could’ve kept going. He didn’t knock me out or anything. He just hit me coming into my guard and I was just f**king exhausted. My training was limited. I couldn’t run. I got my cast off a week before, so yeah. It was mostly me getting tired and I rebroke my leg too during the fight, so it was just like a lot of obstacles. But it sucks that it says it was a knockout when I clearly wasn’t knocked out. Losing sucks, especially getting finished like that. It’s sh*tty.
KK: You get the win over Salaiman Ahmadyar at LFA 81, but there was something else that was talked about from that night. You wore some extremely controversial shorts. What exactly was the reason behind wearing those?
JR: I didn’t know it was going to piss that many people off. I just love anything horror and I have a bunch of horror movies on all my shorts and I was like I’m going to step it up. I’m going to put serial killers on them. And at first, it was just their logos and then it was like let’s put their faces and then it was, ‘f**k it. Let’s put their victims on it too’. And yeah, I got a bunch of hate and now LFA has to pre-check my shorts now to make sure they are okay and not controversial.
KK: Do you understand why you received the backlash that you did? A lot of people you believed you were glorifying these men, especially by having their victims on your shorts.
JR: Yeah, I get that, but its just like people watch serial killer documentaries all the time. It was just something that I liked. I like knowing about serial killers and just how they did everything and I don’t know. I was trying to show that I was gonna go in there as a killer and I guess people took it the wrong way. It is what it is.
KK: So, just to be clear. You will not be wearing those kinds of shorts again because LFA has to check them first, right?
JR: Yeah, I gotta keep it PG kinda.
KK: That’s probably for the best. Now, you’re about to have your next fight in LFA and this one was supposed to happen back in April before it was canceled due to the coronavirus. How did this fight between you and Bryce Logan come together?
JR: I don’t know. To be honest, I didn’t know I was gonna fight for the belt and they gave me this guy and I was like, ‘Well alright. I’ll take it right away’. And it stuck. During the coronavirus, I thought I was going to have a different opponent because maybe you know people weren’t training and s**t like that. So, I was like I may have a different opponent and then it kind of got me scared because if LFA couldn’t find a suitable opponent, then it might not have been for a title anymore. I was still going to fight regardless, but I’m glad that it still stuck and it’s still against the same guy for the belt.
KK: Were you surprised to get this call to fight for the championship on just your second fight back with the promotion?
JR: No, not really. I’m glad that it is for the championship. I feel like I deserve it. There’s nobody that I think could handle me in a championship fight. I’m exciting and I finish most of my fights. It wasn’t shocking that I got the shot for the title because I felt like I deserved it.
KK: Because this fight was pushed back a couple of months, you have had some extra time to prepare for your upcoming opponent. Is that an advantage for you?
JR: My training is the same. I don’t change the way I do things because of my opponent. I know what they are going to do and I’m really well-rounded. If he’s a wrestler, then I’m gonna outwrestle him. If he’s a striker, then I’m gonna outstrike him. So, my training is just normal. The longer the time spent in training just means the longer the time perfecting what I know and having him beat down even worse. If anything, it’s made me stronger and more prepared.
KK: How do you see the fight between you and Bryce Logan playing out?
JR: Finish in the second round. The first round is too early. You want to play with them at first and then finish them. Like I said, if he’s a good striker, then I know I’m a better one. To be honest, I can’t find anything on this guy and my coach kind of does that for me, so its been kind of hard finding film on him. But its pretty much the same with everybody. He’s gonna catch these hands. I’m just dangerous everywhere.
KK: With a win at LFA 87, where do you see yourself in the next couple of months?
JR: I would love to fight three more times. July 31st, then August 15th, and hopefully one more time before December. That’ll be perfect.
KK: You recently signed with Iridium Sports Agency. What was the deciding factor for you in signing with the firm?
JR: I’ve known Jason House for a while now. Me and my coach just thought that this was the right choice to make. It was the smart choice and the fact that he has the ins in places that he has all these people get into – and not even just get in, but stay in. So, that’s really what we were looking at. We just made a smart choice and signed with them. They’ve been awesome.
