Like most fighters who make it to the UFC, Marcelo Rojo is proud to be in the world’s most recognizable MMA organization, but his origins make his addition to the roster a bit sweeter.
After a decade competing professionally, Rojo (16-6 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his UFC debut Saturday against Charles Jourdain at UFC Fight Night 187 in Las Vegas. It’s a short-notice bout that Rojo took after Jourdain’s original opponent, Steve Garcia, was forced to withdraw due to injury.
Rojo has been waiting for an opportunity to fight in the UFC for many years. Born in Cordoba, Argentina, Rojo lives and trains in Tijuana, Mexico, at Entram Gym. He shares the mats with many talented fighters, including top UFC flyweight contender Brandon Moreno. Rojo was regarded for many years as one of the best Latin American fighters to not be signed to the UFC.
“Pitbull” is excited to get the opportunity to showcase his skills in the octagon, but more importantly feels proud to now be a UFC fighter who lives and trains in Latin America.
“Every fighter is looking to become a UFC fighter, but unfortunately, I have to say this: For the Latino fighter, it’s a much more difficult achievement,” Rojo told MMA Junkie in Spanish.
“For the Latino fighter, it’s more years of work. It’s hard to get noticed because they don’t look down south too much, and I know there’s talent in Argentina and all of Latin America. We’re all obviously working for this, so I don’t like to get on this role and say this, but I need to be the tip of the sword for all Latin Americans because for the Latinos, it’s so much harder to get to the UFC – I can assure you that. There’s a ton of Russians, Brazilians, a ton of Americans who wake up, go around the block, and go train at (Team) Alpha Male or some of the best gyms in the world.
“Unfortunately, the economic state of the Latin American countries, they don’t support or give you anything to grow in MMA. So for the Latino fighter it’s two, three, four, five times harder to get to the UFC.”
Rojo got a taste of the UFC lights in 2016 when he was part of “TUF: Latin America.” Naturally a bantamweight, Rojo moved up to the lightweight division to enter the house, but lost to Claudio Puelles in the semifinals of the tournament.
At 32, Rojo never got discouraged and knew one day he would eventually find himself in the UFC.
“As a human being, you grow as you’re doing this and you’re developing as time goes by,” Rojo said. “Obviously, you always have your bad days. You sometimes feel bad, lose fights, and sometimes your mind betrays you and tells you to abandon everything.
“But this is a job about discipline and being constant. I’ve seen the most talented fighters waste their talent for not having discipline and being constant. I’ve trained with people who are really good and stop training for a year, and when they come back, I’m now better than them. I saw that as a lesson and I couldn’t believe I was better than some people. I couldn’t believe it. But you see, it’s just about showing up to the gym and putting in the work. … At Entram, there’s kids who are 11 or 12 and they do all the classes. They do boxing, jiu-jitsu, strength and conditioning – so that makes me happy. Brandon Moreno started at that age. He’s a product of Mexico. He started at that age, he spent all his time at the gym, and now he fought for a world title being a fighter from Latin America.
“So all you need is persistence, have a strong mind, and show up. It’s discipline. Maybe the motivation dropped and maybe I was sad at times, but I’ve always been disciplined and I always got up and trained. And now look: I’m in the UFC.”
Despite the fight with Jourdain being his UFC debut, Rojo said he is not more nervous than he usually is for a fight. It’s an important moment in his career, but the Argentinian has been ready for this moment for many years.
“You always have a little nerves before a fight – it’s not about it being in the UFC,” Rojo said. “Before you step in the cage, you know you’re putting your body on the line – and people don’t see that. People see the fun part, and that’s fine that people only see that because that’s what they deserve. I’m the one that does the hard work.
“You’re always taking a risk because you can get hurt – it’s a fight. And if you lose, you make less money. So yeah, a little nerves. But I have a ton of experience. I’ve already been through so many UFC fight weeks (cornering teammates). I’ve been in the octagon. I have no problem.”