After grand prix elimination, Bellator's Saul Rogers plans next steps, targets Japan return

Saul Rogers waited for years to finally get his shot on the big stage. When that chance finally came, things didn’t quite pan out how he had hoped.

But that isn’t stopping the Brit, who recently changed his nickname from “The Hangman” to Saul “Business” Rogers and is taking a positive outlook on his elimination from the Bellator featherweight grand prix.

Chatting to MMA Junkie after returning home from his decision loss to Daniel Weichel at Bellator 228, Rogers (13-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) said he would use his grand prix appearance as a springboard to bigger and better things as a Bellator fighter.

“I could be sat depressed about that loss and wallow in self-pity, but it’s going to do absolutely nothing for my career,” the 29-year-old said. “So instead of looking at the negatives, I’ve taken all the positives from there (and) the things that didn’t go well, I’ve put into place how to fix them and advance them.

“Everything’s a blessing in disguise, and every time I’ve lost a fight I’ve come back hungrier, stronger and more motivated than ever. So this is just going to be the catalyst to go out there and get that world title.”

Rogers admitted that he was initially a little taken aback by the sheer scale of the event at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, but said he felt completely at home in his new surroundings.

“I don’t think I actually understood the magnitude of how big that card was until a few days before the fight and I saw the promotion and advertising that went into it,” he said. “And being in there and seeing The Forum and how the draw was going to work, it was unreal. To fight on the main card, I felt that’s where I should have been fighting all these years. I felt at home, I swear to you.”

While he felt comfortable on the big stage, Rogers’ fight with two-time title challenger Weichel didn’t go according to plan. After a composed first four minutes, the Brit was caught with a big shot in the final 10 seconds of the round that had him on wobbly legs until the bell. It proved crucial in the final reckoning as Weichel polled scores of 29-28, 30-27, 29-28 to take the win.

Looking back at the fight, Rogers tried to balance frustration with positivity as he saw how close he was to a potential win, and how that crucial moment late in the first round may well have been the difference between a loss and a place in the tournament quarterfinals.

“I was (expletive)ing him up,” he said. “I was winning. I was pinging him. I was landing the cleaner work. He didn’t land a shot on me until that last 10 seconds. I thought I won the second comfortably, and then the third was close, but he edged it. So, bar that last 10 seconds of that first round – that’s what cost me that fight.”

Rogers said he had no complaints with the decision, and said he was taking the positives from a narrow loss to such an experienced fighter who has been campaigning at the top level for so long.

“His only recent losses have been split decisions, he’s fought for the title, he’s the most experienced fighter on the Bellator roster, and for me to go in there and put on that performance and hang in there just shows that I belong at the world level,” he said. “And for me, that was my first time fighting on a card of that magnitude and at that level. Bar that one mistake, that was my fight to win.

“He’s at his peak, and I feel I’m nowhere near there (yet). I’ve watched the fight back and I know there’s a few minor tweaks and fix-ups I can do that will take me to a whole new level. I still think I can be the best fighter on that roster and in a couple of years the cream will rise to the top.”

Rogers is contemplating his next move. And, while he resisted the temptation to accept Bellator’s recent offer and jump straight back into the cage in Milan, Italy, this past weekend, he does have his sights set on a return before the end of the year.

“There’s cards coming up all over,” he said. “There’s a London card coming up soon – that might be a little bit soon for me. But I’ve seen they’ve announced the Japan card with Fedor (Emelianenko) and (Quinton) ‘Rampage’ (Jackson) fighting on Dec. 29. That would be absolutely perfect for me, so I’m going to see if I can get my name put forward for that.

“I fought in Japan just before I went on ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ I fought for Real Fight Championship, I think it was called. I was actually supposed to fight Kron Gracie on one of those shows, but it never ended up happening. That would have been a cool fight. But I’ve fought all over America now. I’ve done the ‘TUF’ stuff. I’ve done Ireland. I’ve traveled all through fighting. But hands down, Japan is still the best place I’ve ever fought on earth. I can’t wait to go back. I want to go back.”

With the tournament now moving on without him, Rogers says his task is clear: Pick up a string of victories to position himself for a shot at whoever wins the tournament.

“There’s a lot of good guys and a lot of good fights I can fight outside the tournament,” he said. “The plan is to rack up some nice wins while the tournament is still going on. Three nice wins, three dominant performances, three good finishes and I feel like when that tournament’s done I’ll be calling out the champion.”