Interview from the Spring 2008 issue of DXL Magazine.
Roger Huerta is a fighter. He has been a fighter his whole life. He may be one of the brightest stars in the UFC, but the road to the top has been like something out of a Hollywood script. To say he has had to over come his share of obstacles is an understatement. Huerta experienced a lifetime of hardships all before he was 13 years old – A mother who abandoned him at a young age, an abusive father who battled with drugs, foster homes, homelessness, running with gangs, and even growing up in El Salvador during a civil war... To quote the UFC slogan, his upbringing was as real as it gets. So it's easy to see where he gets his never say die mentality from. Huerta is a genuine and compassionate person. The chip that should be on his shoulder isn’t there. He encompasses turning a negative into a positive.
Not only is he undefeated in the UFC octagon (6-0), Huerta has also recently improved his overall Mixed Martial Arts record to 20-1-1. His most recent victory over Clay Guida in the main event of this past December's Ultimate Figher Finale was the 2007 Fight of the Year and elevated him directly into the mix of contenders for the UFC's Lightweight Belt. The win – in the classic dramatic come from behind fashion - was by far his toughest test to date and capped off a year where he fought an incredible five times. Throw in his appearance on the cover of Sports illustrated and you're one championship win away from having the perfect ending to that Hollywood movie. With a showdown against Kenny Florian at UFC 87 next on the menu (most likely for a shot at the Lightweight belt), we caught up with Huerta to speak about his rise in the UFC, his Fight of the Year, and what 2008 holds for the fighter who is appropriately called "El Matador'.
Jay Swing: 2007 was a good year for you with going undefeated, landing the cover of Sports Illustrated, and capping it off with the fight of the year. How hard of a road has it been for you to get to this point?
Roger Huerta: Man, the truth is I've been doing MMA since 2003 and as soon as I had my debut fight I wanted to take MMA very seriously and become the best in the world. I just trained a lot and studied. I'm only 24 and I'm going to keep growing and keep working hard and try to become the champ at 155 pound weight class for the UFC.
BONUS...
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