The last time fans saw Bellator featherweight Saul Rogers, it was in the opening round of the promotion’s featherweight grand prix. Rogers (13-3) fell to Daniel Weichel in the tournament, but the English fighter, who returns this weekend as part of Bellator Paris, found some positives even in defeat.
“I didn’t fight the way I wanted to fight last fight, and it was still close against one of the top seeds in Bellator,” Rogers explained during this week’s Bellator Paris (Bellator Europe 10) media day. “So I feel like a couple statement fights, a couple good finishes, and that will put be straight back up there in title contention. And mark my words, I’ll have that belt wrapped around my waist soon.”
Soon could mean 2021, he added. In the meantime, he has a bout with the lesser-known Arbi Mezhidov this weekend, who sports an identical record to Rogers’ own. Rogers feels Mezhidov is a good boxer, but of course, “in this game, at this level, everyone can do everything.” With that in mind, Rogers added, “it doesn’t matter what he does [at Bellator Paris], because I’m coming to destroy, mark my words.”
Ahead of the bout, Rogers has been taking part in a “different” sort of experience living in a bubble, so to speak. Not that he’s complaining, restrictions or not. The reality is, there are still a lot of fighters unable to compete during the coronavirus pandemic. “I’ve got to be grateful. There’s a lot of guys on the sidelines, and I get to fight,” said Rogers.
He also gets to fight at a historic event: the first ever legal MMA show in France. “It’s massive. I’ve got a lot of French friends. When I’ve been doing stuff in the past, I’m sure it was illegal for them to even train MMA,” Rogers pointed out. “Now fast forward a few years, and you’ve got a show on of this caliber at this stadium. I’m proud of how far I’ve come, and that I’ve been selected to be part of something like this.”
Watch the full Bellator Paris media day scrum with Saul Rogers above. The event goes down live this Saturday, October 10.
