At the house, Jennerman shows off the one picture he brought with him to Las Vegas, getting emotional as a result of not being able to be with his wife and kids.
His home video from Sheboygan, WI rolls, with Jennerman introducing his wife, two kids, and their three-legged dog. He explains that he still works part-time at UPS, while also detailing that he and his wife have opened a gym in his hometown, and that he makes trips down to Milwaukee to train at Roufusport HQ.
He’s been part of the black and gold squad since he was 19, and made his professional debut at age 20, building a 16-5 record with 13 submission finishes. He stepped away from fighting for two-and-a-half years, returned as a lightweight and has gone 3-0 since, finishing each of those contests.
That evening, Roberts speaks with fellow veteran Cody Gibson, talking about the journaling he did after being released from the UFC as Gibson sits on the couch chronicling his thoughts. The lanky lightweight explains that he feels like he was fighting for the money, not a career, during his initial run in the UFC as highlights of his appearances roll, inducing his knockout loss to Ignacio Bahamondes.
“I should have just took it a little more seriously,” he says in a confessional interview. “My last couple fights, I kind of lost faith in myself; I kind of lost faith that I was supposed to be here. Sometimes you gotta fall down. Sometimes you gotta hit rock bottom. Rock bottom is a place where you start to recognize everything, and I just needed some time to get my mind right, believe in myself again, and now that I’m here, I feel great.”
ROOSEVELT ROBERTS FIGHT PREP
Back at the UFC APEX, Team Chandler puts their charge through his final preparations for his fight with Jennerman.
Chandler explains why Roberts was tabbed to kick things off for the team, singing his praises about how he practices and prepares, and suggests that Jennerman is a perfect opponent for Roberts, predicting a tremendous first round for the first Team Chandler fighter to step into the cage.
Roberts sees things playing out the same way.
NATE JENNERMAN FIGHT PREP
Jennerman works with McGregor and the team to get ready for Roberts, with the Irishman really taking a hands-on approach to the prep, speaking highly of the Midwest hopeful.
The 30-year-old discusses the game plan and the things he needs to be aware of against Roberts, detailing the aim is to get inside, get the takedown, and find a submission from there, with Jennerman confident that he’ll get the victory.
BACK AT THE HOUSE
Roberts and Holobaugh hang out by the grill, with Roberts explaining he’s moving back to Florida following the show and hopes to train with Chandler and the team at Kill Cliff FC full time.
Roberts’ home video from San Bernardino, CA, rolls, opening at Adrenaline MMA / Carlson Gracie Jiu Jitsu. He explains how he got into mixed martial arts, having taken up the sport after the birth of his daughter, and how he fell into the street life as a kid.
Roberts has two kids — a daughter and a son — and calls them the reason he changed his life, telling them on a call that they’re the reason he’s doing all this, explaining he wants to set an example for them and help change their lives going forward.
