Interview Questions

FightPastor.com: UFC Fans, get ready! We have an exclusive interview with Demico “NightTrain” Rogers, one of the heavyweights on this past season of “The Ultimate Fighter” and Seattle-area native. Thanks for taking time to talk with us, Demico.

Demico Rogers: Hey, no problem.

FP.com: By now, many of your fans probably know that you train at Ring Sports United in Bellevue, WA, and that you are a Certified Master Technician working at a Mercedes Benz dealership. Tell us about how you got started in Mixed Martial Arts and trying out for “The Ultimate Fighter.”

Demico: It was just kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing; it wasn’t anything that was I was really planning on doing, it just kind of fell into our laps. I think it was kind of a fate deal. I was doing my normal training, you know, I was just an amateur fighter.

I was actually over in eastern Washington with family for a funeral, got a couple text messages, some friends saying, “Hey, there’s this ‘Ultimate Fighter’ try-out coming up over in Seattle.” I was like, “I don’t have time for that.” I wasn’t planning on taking fighting that seriously. I talked to my coach about it, and he got wind of it and was like, “Dude, we should try it. Why not? The worst thing they can say is ‘No.’ It’s right here in our backyard, we might as well try out for it.”

So I said, “What the heck?” We prepared for a couple of weeks, and went over to try out. That’s pretty much how it happened. I wouldn’t have flown to Florida or anything to try out, but since it was here, I figured why not.

FP.com: You had been fighting for a while on the amateur circuit. How does a guy who works on cars get into fighting?

Demico: You know, I think everyone kind of has their little story. I don’t think anyone is really born a fighter; everyone comes from some different walk-of-life, whether it’s football or cooking, you know, something. It just happened to be that I was a car guy and that’s how I paid my bills. It just wasn’t enough mentally or physically for me. I was just looking for something to keep me a little more busy, so I got into the gym, just wanting to train. When I got here, my competitive edge took over and it was just a matter of time before I got into the ring.

FP.com: Did you play football or did you wrestle at all in High School or anything like that? Did you have a sports background?

Demico: Yeah, I wrestled and played football in High School, at Hazen [High School, in Renton], and I did well in both. I didn’t pursue it in College; I wasn’t as focused, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I was young and I was enjoying life. I just kinda did the Community College thing, and didn’t really know what I wanted to do, and it didn’t really click until my mid-twenties when I said, “OK, I’ve gotta get myself in gear.” I was doing that as far as working on cars and stuff, but I never felt like I lived up to my potential athletically. I really just wanted to take one last crack at it, and that’s what I’m doing now.

FP.com: A lot of fighters use a show like “The Ultimate Fighter” as a way to build up a fan base towards their eventual UFC or MMA career, and camera time is a huge part of that. Other than the Rhapsody commercial, you really hadn’t had much screen time at all on the show, despite having a strong showing in your fight, and fans seemed to like what they saw of you. Tell us about what went on in the house and how the cameras factor into it? Was it a conscious decision not to play up to the cameras and be a “character”?

Demico: It was a great opportunity for all of us. Part of me thinks that I didn’t use it to the best of my ability. I could have shown off and acted a little crazier in the house and stuff, but that’s not really me. People that know who I am, they know I’m a pretty modest, pretty humble guy. If I was gonna be out there, kinda acting a fool on camera, they would know I’m trying to be something I’m not, and I definitely didn’t want to do that.

Being on the show and not winning the whole thing, it still absolutely opened doors for me and the people that are attracted to me are people that understand who I am and things like that. And I’m OK with that. You know, if I wanted to be Wes Sims, I would be Wes Sims, but that’s just not me. I’m happy with what the show did for me, and I’m going to use it to the best of my ability.

In the house, it was what you saw on TV. It was pretty crazy. They definitely left a lot of stuff off: a lot of the crazy stuff that went on in the house, a lot of the fighting, a lot of the drinking, stuff like that. I think they really just wanted to put forth that good image for MMA, we don’t need any of the negative, any of the Junie Browning-type stuff. I think there’s enough of that in the sport and we don’t need to put it all over national television.

FP.com: Do you think a lot of that crazy stuff was played up for the sake of the cameras, or do you think it was those guys just trying to cut loose a little bit and relax?

Demico: You know, that house really does make you crazy. I figured going into it, they’re going to egg us on and they’re going to try to get us to do stuff, but that show is a hundred percent unscripted. I mean, they put you in the house, and take a lot of your everyday stuff that you would normally have at home away, and just kind of watch you go crazy, and that’s what happens.

All the stuff, that really happens. I mean, it’s for real. You go six weeks without your friends or family, or cell phone or internet or magazines or anything. You WILL start picking on each other and drinkin’ and fightin’ and breakin’ stuff just because you have nothing else to do.

FP.com: The alcohol was provided by the show, though, right?

Demico: Oh yeah. You walk into the house, fully stocked, full of alcohol. They don’t encourage you to drink it, but it’s there.

FP.com: Having it there is enough of an encouragement, I would think.

Demico: <laughs> Right.

FP.com: Thinking back on your bout on “The Ultimate Fighter.” You fought Brendan Schuab, and that was your first and only fight, and of course, he ended up going to the finale. Going back and looking at that fight, it seemed like you were really in control of that fight right up until the end. What was going in your head during that fight, and up to the end when things got turned around on you?

Demico: Well, you know, that’s an interesting topic. It <i>did</i> look like I was in control of that fight, but mentally, I wasn’t. I didn’t know what I know now, and since the show, most of my training has been on the mental side. I was out there, and I was just using my athleticism. I wasn’t fighting. I didn’t have a game plan. I didn’t really know what I was doing, and that’s what I’ve really been focusing on the months after the show is becoming a mixed martial artist, becoming a fighter.

Here I am, this big, athletic guy; I was probably bigger and more athletic than Brendan, and that’s why I was winning the fight, but I didn’t have a game plan. When I was on top and I was ground-and-pounding, I didn’t really know what I was going to do next. Whereas he was on the bottom, getting ground-and-pounded, and he was comfortable. He knew what he was going to do next; he was waiting for me to make a mistake. I think that’s the difference, and that has to do with your training camp, and who you have behind you and the experience that you have. I have no problem with that. I’m totally OK with that. I’m glad that I recognize that, and I’m glad that I’m taking steps to change that.

FP.com: Did the advice coming from your corner have any sort of an effect on you? It looked like you were in a pretty good position, and your corner was telling you to pass, and it looks like that’s when the turning point was. Did that have an effect on you?

Demico: From a technical standpoint, yeah. I was in side control, I was dropping good elbows. I felt like I was doing good damage, but nothin’ was really hurting him. I kind of got a sense of urgency that I shouldn’t have gotten. I should have stayed calm, stayed in good position. But Josh Rosenthal (the referee) and my corner were saying “Keep moving, advance position.”

From side control, the only thing after that is mount, and I took a sloppy pass. Instead of controlling the head, keeping shoulder pressure on the head and sliding the knee through, getting the knee on his stomach and passing over, I kind of went for a quick jump and he was able to catch me and buck me off. But man, that was a tough one. I obviously wish I could have that back. I could have my nerves and be settled down a little bit and be able to work my ground-and-pound the way I know I can.

FP.com: There has been a lot of talk both during and after the show was finished about the clash in coaching styles between Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson. It was a pretty dramatic moment when it was Rashad that came in after your fight to talk to you, and Rampage was really nowhere to be found. How much of a role do you feel the coaching had on the outcomes of the fights on the show?

Demico: Oh, it’s huge. I know it’s huge, and I didn’t know it until I went down to Colorado to train with Trevor Whitman and I trained with Rashad Evans, and those guys are all about training smarter, not harder. You know, Rampage … he ran us into the ground. We were running three-four miles a day, we were training two-three times a day, and sparring and just beating each other up. We’re 265 pounds, and you know, we were just really getting beat up and not really learning anything. It was just kind of trial by fire and get in there and see who can bang the most. I didn’t really learn anything, and coming into the show with my little experience, I was hoping to go in there and learn a lot. And I did, but at the same time, I could have learned a lot more.

Now, training with Rashad and Trevor, I just see how much more there is to this game than just being able to swing and swing back at someone. There’s so much about nutrition and diet and the mental side of it and how to train smart, and not injure yourself. That’s just all stuff I’m glad I’m learning now, still at a relatively young age.

FP.com: Do you feel like you would have learned more and performed better with Rashad as your coach at the beginning instead of Rampage?

Demico: I have to say yeah, and it’s nothing against Rampage. I love Rampage as a person, and he’s one of the funniest guys I’ve ever been around, but from a coaching standpoint, absolutely. I think Rashad has better coaching and I think he knows [it]. The work ethic and the time and effort he puts in and what they put into each individual guy … it showed on the show, and it showed in the fights.

It is what it is. I have no regrets on the show. I believe the show is what you make of it. There’s so many guys that have done well after the show that I’m not worried about the fact that I didn’t win it. I’m just making sure that I take the right steps to do well after the show.

FP.com: Sure, and it looks like you kind of made the most of it while you were there, because you ended up alongside Rashad and Roy “Big Country” Nelson in that Rhapsody commercial, arguably getting more screen time there than you did on the actual show. How did that happen?

Demico: That was totally random! I got a phone call and they said, “Hey, you want to come down to Vegas to do a commercial shoot?” and I was like, “What for?” and they were like, “Rhapsody,” and I was like, “Uh, sure, OK!” So I went down there, and I didn’t know who else was going to be there. So I got down there and saw it was going to be Rashad and Roy, and I was like, “Oh, this is kind of random. Why’d you guys pick us?” No one really knew.

FP.com: <laughs>

Demico: They said it had to do with the fact that we all could kinda speak, we could follow a script and do that kind of stuff, and pay attention to detail and things like that. But I honestly have no idea why they picked me for that. It was a good opportunity and I made a little money, and it was fun.

FP.com: Well, there’s nothing wrong with that at all. So there was rumors that you might be fighting Kimbo Slice at the finale, and of course now we know that didn’t happen, but was there any truth to that when those rumors were going around, and if there was, what changed?

Demico: I never heard that. You are the first person I heard that from. <laughs> No, I never heard anything about that. That would have been a good opportunity for me, and I would have taken it. Kimbo’s a really good guy, we’re good friends and we’ve spoken after the show. I think that would have been a good opportunity for me to get some exposure. Against a huge name like Kimbo would have been really good. I can’t tell you how the fight would have gone down, but I would have tried to come in with a good game plan, let ‘em fly and see what would happen.

No, Kimbo’s a good guy, and I hope his age doesn’t catch up with him too early. I hope he has a few good fights left in him. I know he’s with a good camp down there with American Top Team now, and I think they’re going to lead him in the right direction.

FP.com: You’re about to head back down to Colorado, training at Grudge Sports. You’re down there with a lot of huge names in the UFC: former champions Rashad Evans and George St. Pierre, contenders like Nate Marquardt and Shane Carwin. Tell me a little bit about what that experience has been like, and how that opportunity came about for you.

Demico: Oh man, it’s awesome. The opportunity is great. I walked straight into the middle of Rashad Evans training camp and was one of his main sparring partners, and one of his main wrestling partners, and it was awesome. It was, you know, throw you in there with the dogs and hope you can survive, and I definitely did and I showed them that I was a worthy training partner and they really enjoyed me being down there. I enjoyed being down there; the experience and the professionalism of those guys, and the way that they … this is their <i>life</i>, this is what they do. They get up every morning and they go and they do their one-on-one training, then they meet with their strength and conditioning coach, they go and get their massage. They make sure they’re taken care of physically and mentally, everything, every day.

Everyone thinks that to be a UFC fighter you have to be this big, mean, tough guy. Nate Marquardt, Rashad Evans, and Georges St. Pierre are three of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. You could never imagine them getting in a fight in a bar or out on the street or anything like that. So that just kind of makes me think that, “Oh, maybe I can do this.” You don’t have to have this big, mean persona about you and walk around all pissed off all the time, because they’re some of the nicest guys. They love what they do; they’re professional athletes, and they just take it very seriously and that’s what I’m trying to do.

FP.com: Does being around guys like that help you kind of keep your head straight?

Demico: Oh yeah. You know, keeping my head straight isn’t too tough. I feel like I’m a lot better than most of the guys on the show as far as not freakin’ out or knowing what I need to do to get to where I want to go. But yeah, absolutely … seeing those guys every day I the gym, working hard. I get there, they’re there. I leave, they’re still there. [You see] what kind of time and effort it takes to be at the top, and now I know that. So I have no excuse to not go for it a hundred percent.

FP.com: Is it hard to be away from your family? I know you’re married; is it hard to be away from your wife when you’re out there training?

Demico: You know, it’s just a sacrifice. It’s something you have to do. We’ll have plenty of time to spend time together, and we still spend plenty of time together. She understands that this is the grunt-work time, this is hard time. You know, guys like Georges St. Pierre, he fights twice a year. I’m not going to say he’s got it easy, but right now, I plan on fightin’ six, seven times this year. This is when you’re doing the dirty work, tryin’ to build a name for yourself. I’m out there marketing myself at all the small shows, trying to market my website. Sell t-shirts [and] save money so I can go train. When you’re up there and you’ve got money coming in, then it’s a little easier to sleep at night. That’s what I’m working towards. Hopefully it only lasts a few years and then I’ll be in the UFC and fighting on a regular basis and everything will be good.

FP.com: Speaking of that, if you’re going to be focusing on the business aspect of things and getting the money going so you can train well, you’re going to need good management. You just signed with Cole Blooded Management, and that’s the same company that manages Rashad. So how did that happen? Did Rashad kind of hook that up for you?

Demico: Yeah, Rashad … I didn’t know anything about it, and when I got back from the show, I got a call from Jervis Cole, and he said, “Hey, Rashad gave me a call and told me about you, and said that in a few years, you’re gonna be the next big thing.” You know, that was obviously humbling for me, I thought I was just a guy who lost a fight on the show. It was nice to know that some of these guys really saw the potential in me and it just kinda gave me a little more confidence, and made me feel really good about myself. These guys have taken really good care of me, and he also manages Nate Marquardt. If it wasn’t for those guys, I wouldn’t be down there training at Grudge Training Center, having some of the best boxing training in the world, and having some of the best training partners in the world.

FP.com: What’s the next stop for the NightTrain? Are you going to be fighting locally again, or is your next big fight going to be in the UFC?

Demico: Jervis wanted me to go straight to Dream or Strikeforce, you know, take my show on the road right away, get a couple big fights and jump right back into the UFC. Trevor Whitman talked to him and said, “Let’s get him some fights first,” and I really do need to get my feet wet. I’m not as calm as I should be in the cage yet. We’re gonna try to take a year, and get four-five-six fights this year. I’m gonna try to build a fan-base out there in Colorado as well. Hopefully; management’s working on it with Joe di Rovigo out there at Snoqualmie Casino to see if we can get me on the card next month, February 13^th out at “Rumble on the Ridge.”

FP.com: Oh, that’ll be fantastic. I can’t wait to go see you fight again.

Demico: I can’t make an official announcement, but it should be coming real soon. Hit me up on my website, DemicoRogers.com, hit me up on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, all of it will be updated on there.

FP.com: And that’s how your fans connect up with you and get those t-shirts?

Demico: Yeah, absolutely.

FP.com: Alright, thanks so much for taking time to talk with us, Demico! We’re all looking forward to seeing you compete again, and we wish you all the best.

Demico: Hey, thank you very much, and I’m glad we finally got to catch up, and keep in touch. I’ll definitely put some training videos and pictures on my website for everyone to check out, and I appreciate you taking the time.

Interview by Rob “SuperRob” Stevens