Demico Rogers: TUF 10 Dark Horse

Posted By Brett Atchley on the Sep 16 2009

The Ultimate Fighter season 10, premiering Wednesday September 16^th at 8ET/PT, is said to be the most anticipated season in its history. The sensationalism seems to be focusing on one main character, Kevin Ferguson, otherwise known as back-alley brawler, Kimbo Slice. However, rumors indicate that Slice is not where the sensationalism primarily lies.

One thing is for certain; it has been shared that the shows producers dealt out a little more latitude in regards to the antics and activity on the show and one who has kept a relatively low profile is one of the shows heavyweight participants known as Demico Rogers.

Demico’s appearance and selection on the show could have easily been something that would not have happened. Call it destiny or whatever you like but what is shared with us by him is that his low profile position and neutral conduct is all part of his plan. He states that is it is no accident, it is all by design to put himself out there as representative of MMA that is determined to show the masses that champions have to work, be disciplined and contain an above average level of intelligence to become champions. More important yet to Demico is to be looked at as a role model for this generation of youth in today’s society.

Demico has a great career as a master mechanic in Bellevue, Washington’s Barrier Mercedes. He trains at Mark Messer’s Ring Sports United close by and is happily married. He has fought Strikeforce and in numerous local promotions as a professional holding an undefeated record of 7-0. Demico is someone that has something for everyone in his performance demeanor and most importantly his actions. When I say this, what I mean is that when people see him perform in a cage, they are immediately drawn to him. A group of local rock station DJs saw him last year in the promotion “Rumble on the Ridge” put on by Joe DeRobbio. They walked away from the event remembering nothing else except Roger’s performance, citing that “that guy is going to be in the UFC someday.”

I heard about him through local channels and paid no mind to them for the most part until I met him at that same promotion recently. He had just returned from the filming of the TUF series and was all smiles. He had with him Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Tiki Ghosn.

I arranged to meet him the following week at Ring Sports United, soliciting an interview. He agreed.

MMA WorldWide: Thank you for talking with us Demico. We don’t know much about you can you tell us how you came to be?

Demico Rogers: My pleasure. Not much to tell really. I graduated from Hazen High in Renton, Wa. I was heavily recruited for football and wrestling. That didn’t really work out the way I planned so I went in a different direction and followed my passion for cars. I decided I would attend WYO Tech here. It is regarded as on of the top tech schools in the nation. Graduated from there and was offered employment with Barrier Mercedes as a master tech.

MWW: How did you make your way into Ringsports United with Mark Messer?

DM: Well, I’ve always tried to stay in good physical condition and I just felt like there was something missing. I had resurgence in my interest in wrestling and I knew the gym was close. I was interested in building on my skills as a wrestler; I was watching the UFC quite a bit and just figured I’d try it. I thought that if I didn’t have what it took to succeed then maybe I could help someone who did. I came in, met up with Mark, we talked, I decided that I was going to make the commitment and go from there.

MWW: Looking back from then to now it’s only been a couple years. Did it just come natural? The skills and competiveness?

DR: Yah, it really did. I always had the competitive edge and I’ve always been athletically prone but I had no idea how fast it would overtake me and how intense the passion would be. It’s been two years since I’ve started this. I’ve had four BJJ matches, one pankration fight and I haven’t lost anything in terms of competition for quite awhile. I really don’t like to lose, so my competitive edge mentally is at a very high pitch. I get confused by other athletes that have these abilities and don’t use them or train to be the best they can be. I would never want to let the fans down. I had no idea it would happen this way but it did and today I’m very grateful for it.

MWW: Let’s talk about your style. Coming from a wresting back-ground, was it hard to make the transition to BJJ?

DR: Not at all. It was instantaneous. I think it was good that I hadn’t wrestled in 8 years because it all just seemed to flow. My guard was good, I picked up sweeps and my top game was on point. I won my first BJJ tournament after being in the gym 3 weeks. My stand-up is coming along really well, always improving but like everything else in this thing; it comes fairly easily. My timing is good and I have an 82½ inch reach, I’m not afraid to get hit; in fact, I get frustrated when people don’t come back at me. It is the thing I work on most though.

MWW: So you your record is 7-0? Have you ever been “rocked” or got yourself in what you would term as trouble in a fight?

DR: Actually yes, it was in the Strikeforce promotion. It was a fight with a big powerful wrestler right after Bob Sapp’s fight. The guy hit me square on the chin that had me seeing stars. I quickly recovered and took him out in the first round with a head kick.

MWW: Let’s talk about how you came to be on TUF and what it was like for you to participate and perform at that level.

DR: I could’ve just as easily not been at that tryout. If it had been somewhere else, I wouldn’t have gone. They saw that I knew what I was doing in 30 seconds of grappling, a couple minutes of pad work and the final interview. I just had to sell myself. I guess I did that. It was awesome and scary at the same time. I couldn’t believe it at times but, I just kept saying to myself that they picked me. I decided at that point that I was there for a reason and I was going to go out there and show them what I was made of and what I could do.

MWW: We hear stories of how difficult it is to be in the environment of “the house” and that there are things put in place to, perhaps escalate or encourage mental challenge. Is there truth to that?

DR: Yes, I definitely think that it is an environment that is set up to challenge the men in it. Personally, I knew that the only person that was going to break me was myself. I kept telling and reminding myself that they chose me.

For me, I looked at it as an opportunity to make something better or even bigger than what I had before. I focused on why I was there and really didn’t let anyone or anything get in the way of that. I always had to keep in the forefront of my mind why I was there and not get caught up in the personalities, chaos or drama. I was always thinking positive, not thinking about home, that is what would drive guys crazy. My wife and family knew what it would be like and that there would be no contact. I just kept focusing on what we would do when it was all over. My family supported me 100%, we all were focusing on the task at hand.

MWW: You were here with “Rampage” last week. How was it spending time with him on the show?

DR: You know I really didn’t spend much time with him and he wasn’t necessarily my coach but he just came up for the show here. I really probably spent equal time with him and Rashad. (Smiles) I’m not allowed to say who my coach was but him and Rashad are both very different characters. Quinton is more of a guy that is focused on real life. He likes to know what makes people tick, he likes to have conversations about life and what gets people to the places that they go to whether it be in victory, success or challenge and Rashad is a real x’s and o’s type of guy. He works technique, cardio, and health. He wants to make sure we’re all ready to go and try’s to prepare us for what we might encounter. I mean you could make the argument that “Rampage” wins most his fights with heart and Rashad’s wins come from technique. They are both extraordinary athletes and people but, 100% different in their coaching.

MWW: How was it making the transition from life at home to being thrown into an environment like that?

DR: It was hard but, I knew that it was something that I had to go through. I think anyone who has achieved success in anything has had a period in their life where there was a “boot camp” period, if you will, where they went into a difficult situation that was virtually unknown. For me it’s the warrior spirit that I have that tells me that it’s going to be a lot of work before I taste the real victory. I just manned up, suited up, showed up and did it for as long as they told me I had to.

MWW: Were you glad when it was over?

DR: (Laughs) Sure. I mean I was excited to get back home for obvious reasons but, I really didn’t have that much difficulty with being away. I took it as an opportunity to see how people at that level operate. How they live, condition, recover, diets, representation. It was just a huge education for me and I was taking as much as I could absorb from it and hope to continue to do so.

MWW: Going forward, do you see yourself staying in the Seattle area?

DR: I have been asked that before and I’ve given it some thought. I would like to travel all over to different camps and gyms. I would like to train with as many people as I can. I would still like to put together a team of coaches and training partners that would be with me. The people that I want involved in that group are Maurice Smith, Ivan Salaverry, Mark Messer and Reese Andy. I think that those guys represent solid skills if not extraordinary in their applicable styles.

MWW: Maurice Smith made a prediction about you some time ago as to your exceptional abilities. You two have spoke?

DR: You know I’m at a loss for words that praise of that nature would come out of his mouth. He is a legend and he will be a vital part of my home camp.

MWW: Looking back, what was your experience with Dana White as a person?

DR: Dana is a very passionate and intelligent man. People get the wrong impression of him. If you have the same passion for the sport and are willing to go to the lengths that he has and is to get it to a global level then he has your back. That man is working constantly. He is very straight forward and he makes no bones about what he is about. He’s successful but the material success isn’t as important to him, I don’t think as his contribution to the success of MMA. The money part of it is the by product of his hard work. People I think really get the wrong impression of whom and what he really is. He’s a good person and he does care about the athletes and his staff.

MWW: Thanks Demico, anything in closing?

DR: Thank you, it was great and yes, just tune in to TUF 10 on September 16^th, there’s some stuff happening that you won’t believe. They loosened the collar a bit on us compared to the past seasons. I just try to stay calm, cool and collected and I think I did a pretty good job.