American mixed martial arts fighter
Roosevelt Roberts (born February 11, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA) who competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Background
Roberts was born in Miami, Florida in 1994. After his mother left the family due to domestic violence, Roberts began living with friends and family members whenever they could take him in. Roberts began selling drugs and stealing to support himself. As a result, he ended up in a youth correctional facility in San Francisco, California for a year. Roberts started to turn his life around at 19 years old when his daughter was born and started training in MMA.[ 6] He took his first amateur fight in 2014 and turned professional in 2016. Roberts trains at Adrenaline MMA in San Bernardino under head coach Adam Rothwieler and at Carlson Gracie Temecula under Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach Tom Cronin.[ 1]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career and appearance on Dana White's Contender Series
After a 6–1 amateur career, Roberts started his professional MMA career in 2016. He amassed a record of 5–0 prior to his appearance on Dana White's Contender Series 15 web-series program on July 21, 2018, where he faced Garrett Gross. He won the fight via a submission in the second round and was signed by UFC.[ 7]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Roberts made his UFC debut on November 20, 2018, against Darrell Horcher at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale .[ 8] He won the fight via a guillotine choke in round one.[ 9] This win earned the Performance of the Night award.[ 10]
His next fight came on April 27, 2019, against Thomas Gifford at UFC Fight Night: Jacaré vs. Hermansson .[ 11] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[ 12]
Roberts faced Vinc Pichel on June 29, 2019, at UFC on ESPN 3 .[ 13] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[ 14]
Roberts faced Alexander Yakovlev on November 9, 2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 21 .[ 15] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[ 16]
Roberts was scheduled to face Matt Frevola on April 25, 2020 .[ 17] However, on April 9, promotional officials scrapped the pairing due to COVID-19 pandemic .[ 18]
Roberts faced Brok Weaver on May 30, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns .[ 19] At the weigh-ins, Weaver weighed in at 157.5 pounds, 1.5 pounds over the lightweight non-title fight limit of 156 pounds. He was fined 20 percent of his purse and the bout with Roberts proceeded at a catchweight.[ 20] Roberts won the fight via submission in round two.[ 21]
Roberts faced Jim Miller on June 20, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Volkov .[ 22] He lost the fight in the first round after verbally submitting to an armbar.[ 23]
A bout with Matt Frevola was rescheduled and is expected to take place on September 12, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 177 .[ 24] On September 11, 2020, Frevola pulled out of the bout against Roberts, citing an injury. He was replaced by newcomer Kevin Croom .[ 25] Roberts lost the fight via a guillotine choke in round one.[ 26] On November 4, it was announced by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) that the fight with Croom would be overturned to a no contest, after Croom tested positive for marijuana.
Roberts faced Ignacio Bahamondes on August 21, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 29 .[ 27] He lost the fight via knock out in round three.[ 28]
On September 17, 2021, it was announced that Roberts was released by the UFC.[ 29]
Eagle FC
After being released from the UFC, Roberts faced Darren Smith Jr. for the vacant LXF Welterweight Championship at Lights Out Xtreme Fighting 7 on December 10, 2021. He claimed the title via first-minute knockout.[ 30]
Roberts faced Alexandre de Almeida on May 20, 2022, at Eagle FC 47 .[ 31] At weigh ins, Alexandre Almeida missed weight for the bout. Alexandre Almeida weighed in at 158.4 pounds and was fined a percentage of his purse and the bout proceeded at catchweight.[ 32] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[ 33]
The Ultimate Fighter 31
In mid-March 2023, it was announced that Roberts would be competing in the thirty-first season of The Ultimate Fighter .[ 34]
Roberts was selected to be a part of Team Chandler , being ranked third overall. In his first fight on the show, Roberts faced #2 ranked Nate Jennerman, and won the fight by knockout eight seconds into the first round.[ 35]
In the semi-final round, Roberts faced faced former LFA Lightweight Champion and fellow teammate Austin Hubbard , and lost the fight via split decistion.[ 36]
Return to UFC
Roberts faced Mateusz Rębecki on November 11, 2023, at UFC 295 .[ 37] At the weigh-ins, Roberts came in at 158 pounds (two pounds over the lightweight non-title bout limit). His bout with Rebecki proceeded at catchweight with Roberts forfeiting 20% of his purse.[ 38] He lost the bout in the first round via an armbar submission.[ 39]
Replacing Nikolas Motta, Roberts faced Ľudovít Klein on September 28, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 243 .[ 40] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[ 41]
Personal life
Roosevelt has two children.[ 6]
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
18 matches
12 wins
5 losses
By knockout
4
1
By submission
5
2
By decision
3
2
No contests
1
Res.
Record
Opponent
Method
Event
Date
Round
Time
Location
Notes
Loss
12–5 (1)
Ľudovít Klein
Decision (Unanimous)
UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Saint Denis
September 28, 2024
3
5:00
Paris , France
Loss
12–4 (1)
Mateusz Rębecki
Submission (armbar)
UFC 295
November 11, 2023
1
3:08
New York City, New York , United States
Catchweight (158 lb) bout; Roberts missed weight.
Win
12–3 (1)
Alexandre de Almeida
Decision (unanimous)
Eagle FC 47
May 20, 2022
3
5:00
Miami, Florida , United States
Return to Lightweight; de Almeida missed weight (158.4 lb).
Win
11–3 (1)
Darren Smith Jr.
KO (punch)
LXF 7
December 10, 2021
1
0:32
Commerce, California , United States
Won the vacant LOXF Welterweight Championship.
Loss
10–3 (1)
Ignacio Bahamondes
KO (spinning wheel kick)
UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Gastelum
August 21, 2021
3
4:55
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
NC
10–2 (1)
Kevin Croom
NC (overturned)
UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill
September 12, 2020
1
0:31
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Originally a submission (guillotine choke) win for Croom; overturned after he tested positive for marijuana .
Loss
10–2
Jim Miller
Submission (armbar)
UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov
June 20, 2020
1
2:25
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Catchweight (160 lb) bout.
Win
10–1
Brok Weaver
Submission (rear-naked choke)
UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns
May 30, 2020
2
3:26
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Catchweight (157.5 lb) bout; Weaver missed weight.
Win
9–1
Alexander Yakovlev
Decision (unanimous)
UFC Fight Night: Magomedsharipov vs. Kattar
November 9, 2019
3
5:00
Moscow , Russia
Loss
8–1
Vinc Pichel
Decision (unanimous)
UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. dos Santos
June 29, 2019
3
5:00
Minneapolis, Minnesota , United States
Win
8–0
Thomas Gifford
Decision (unanimous)
UFC Fight Night: Jacaré vs. Hermansson
April 27, 2019
3
5:00
Sunrise, Florida , United States
Win
7–0
Darrell Horcher
Submission (guillotine choke)
The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters Finale
November 30, 2018
1
4:50
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Performance of the Night.
Win
6–0
Garrett Gross
Submission (rear-naked choke)
Dana White's Contender Series 15
July 31, 2018
2
2:13
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Win
5–0
Tommy Aaron
TKO (punches)
Bellator 192
January 20, 2018
1
N/A
Inglewood, California , United States
Win
4–0
Shohei Yamamoto
TKO (punches)
CXF 9
August 19, 2017
2
1:47
Studio City, California , United States
Won the interim CXF Lightweight Championship.
Win
3–0
Dominic Clark
Submission (guillotine choke)
CXF 8
June 17, 2017
1
1:47
Burbank, California , United States
Win
2–0
Andrew Kauppila
TKO (punches)
KOTC: Groundbreaking
May 6, 2017
1
0:23
San Jacinto, California , United States
Win
1–0
Michael Thomas
Submission (guillotine choke)
California Fight League 9
October 22, 2016
1
2:58
Victorville, California , United States
Lightweight debut.
[ 43]
Mixed martial arts exhibition record
Exhibition record breakdown
2 matches
1 win
1 loss
By knockout
1
0
By decision
0
1
See also
References
^ a b "Roosevelt Roberts overcomes death, drugs and hardships en route to UFC" . ESPN.com . 2019-04-22. Retrieved 2019-06-30 .
^ "Roosevelt Roberts | UFC" . www.ufc.com . 14 September 2018. Retrieved 2019-06-30 .
^ a b Brian Martin (June 19, 2020). "For Roosevelt Roberts, the fight continues in the UFC" . OC Register .
^ Riley Kontek (July 30, 2018). "Contender Series: Season 2, Episode 7 Preview and Predictions" . combatpress.com .
^ Conan Altatis (May 31, 2020). "Lathrop, California's Roosevelt Roberts earns 3rd UFC win, submits Brok Weaver in Las Vegas" . CONAN Daily.
^ a b Thomas Gerbasi (September 11, 2020). "For Roosevelt Roberts, Family Propels Him Forward" . Ultimate Fighting Championship .
^ Al-Shatti, Shaun (2018-07-31). "DWTNCS results: Four contracts handed out in action-packed night" . MMA Fighting . Retrieved 2019-06-30 .
^ Dave Doyle (2018-10-02). "Rafael dos Anjos vs. Kamaru Usman headlines The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale" . mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2019-06-30 .
^ "TUF 28 Finale results: Roosevelt Roberts uses nasty guillotine to finish Darrell Horcher in first" . MMAjunkie . 2018-12-01. Retrieved 2019-06-30 .
^ MMA, LowKick (2018-12-01). "TUF 28 Finale Bonuses: Usman Banks An Extra $50k" . LowKickMMA.com . Retrieved 2019-07-31 .
^ Marcel Dorff (25 March 2019). "Roosevelt Roberts treft UFC debutant Thomas Gifford tijdens UFC Fort Lauderdale" (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-01-14 .
^ Cole, Ross (2019-04-28). "Roosevelt Roberts Defeats Thomas Gifford By Unanimous Decision At UFC Fight Night 150" . MMA Insight . Retrieved 2019-06-30 .
^ Marcel Dorff (12 May 2019). "Roosevelt Roberts vs. Vinc Pichel toegevoegd aan UFC Minneapolis card" (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-01-14 .
^ Harshman, Heath (2019-06-29). "UFC Minneapolis Results: Vinc Pichel Comes Back to Defeat Roosevelt Roberts by Decision" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 2019-06-30 .
^ Marcel Dorff (2019-10-24). "Roosevelt Roberts replaces Vinc Pichel against Alexander Yakovlev during UFC Moscow" . mmadan.nl . Retrieved 2022-01-14 . (in Dutch)
^ Anderson, Jay (2019-11-09). "UFC Moscow Results: Roosevelt Roberts Gets Past Alexander Yakovlev in Enemy Territory" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 2019-11-09 .
^ Nolan King (2020-02-13). "Matt Frevola vs. Roosevelt Roberts added to UFC on ESPN+ 31" . mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2020-02-13 .
^ Brett Okamoto (2020-04-09). "Dana White says UFC 249 will not happen April 18" . espn.com . Retrieved 2020-04-09 .
^ Farah Hannoun (2020-05-21). "UFC adds Roosevelt Roberts vs. Brok Weaver to May 30 event in Las Vegas" . mmajunkie.usatoday.com . Retrieved 2020-05-21 .
^ Staff (2020-05-29). "UFC on ESPN 9 weigh-in results: Woodley, Burns official, but one fighter misses" . mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-05-29 .
^ McClory, Mike (2020-05-30). "UFC Vegas Results: Roosevelt Roberts Gets Final Word Against Brok Weaver" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 2020-05-31 .
^ "UFC books Jim Miller vs. Roosevelt Roberts for June 20 event" . MMA Junkie . 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2020-06-10 .
^ Justin Gibbons (2020-06-21). "UFC on ESPN 11 Results: Jim Miller Catches a Limb, Submits Roosevelt Roberts" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 2020-06-21 .
^ Marcel Dorff (2020-08-10). "Roosevelt Roberts vs. Matt Frevola opnieuw ingepland, ditmaal voor 12 september in Las Vegas" . mmadna.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-01-14 .
^ "Matt Frevola out of UFC on ESPN+ 35; Kevin Croom steps in vs. Roosevelt Roberts" . MMA Junkie . 2020-09-11. Retrieved 2020-09-12 .
^ Evanoff, Josh (2020-09-12). "UFC Vegas 10 Results: Kevin Croom Stuns Roosevelt Roberts" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 2020-09-12 .
^ Marcel Dorff (2021-06-12). "Roosevelt Roberts vs. Ignacio Bahamondes toegevoegd aan UFC evenement op 21 augustus" . MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-01-14 .
^ Behunin, Alex (2021-08-21). "UFC Vegas 34 Results: Ignacio Bahamondes Stuns Roosevelt Roberts With Show-Stopper KO" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 2021-08-22 .
^ Cruz, Guilherme (2021-09-17). "Four fighters released from UFC roster, including Roosevelt Roberts" . MMA Fighting . Retrieved 2021-09-17 .
^ Edward Carbajal (December 2021). "Lights Out Xtreme Fighting LXF 7: Roberts vs. Smith Jr. Results" . mymmanews.com .
^ "Alexandre 'Capitão' encara ex-UFC em estreia no evento de Khabib Nurmagomedov" . ESPN.com (in Portuguese). 2022-03-28. Retrieved 2022-04-26 .
^ "Eagle FC 47 weigh-in results: Yorgan De Castro nears heavyweight limit vs. Junior Dos Santos" . MMA Junkie . 2022-05-19. Retrieved 2022-05-22 .
^ Al-Shatti, Shaun (2022-05-20). "Eagle FC 47 results: Junior dos Santos injures shoulder, Hector Lombard vs. Thiago Silva ends in no contest" . MMA Fighting . Retrieved 2022-05-22 .
^ Heck, Mike (2023-03-05). "Full TUF 31 cast revealed, featuring Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler as coaches" . MMA Fighting . Retrieved 2023-03-26 .
^ "An eight-second KO kicks off drama-filled first episode of TUF 31" . ESPN.com . 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2023-05-31 .
^ " 'The Ultimate Fighter 31: McGregor vs. Chandler,' Episode 9 recap: First semifinal leaves Dana White unimpressed" . mmajunkie.usatoday.com . 26 July 2023.
^ "Jest zastępstwo! Mateusz Rębecki wystąpi na sobotniej gali UFC 295 w Nowym Jorku!" . Lowking.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-11-07 .
^ Slexander K. Lee (2023-11-10). "UFC 295 weigh-in results: Championship fights official, 2 fighters miss weight" . mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2023-11-10 .
^ Dewar, Val (2023-11-12). "UFC 295: Mateusz Rebecki Sprints to First-Round Submission of Roosevelt Roberts" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 2023-11-12 .
^ Kevin Priest (2024-09-03). "UFC Paris : Nouvel adversaire pour L'udovit Klein" (in French). Boxemag.com. Retrieved 2024-09-03 .
^ Eddie Law (2024-09-28). "Ludovit Klein Pressures, Grapples Roberts To Decision Win" . cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-09-28 .
^ MMA, LowKick (2018-12-01). "TUF 28 Finale Bonuses: Usman Banks An Extra $50k" . LowKickMMA.com . Retrieved 2019-07-31 .
^ Sherdog.com. "Roosevelt" . Sherdog . Retrieved 2020-05-31 .
External links