As George Roop (11-6-1 MMA, 1-2 UFC) readies for Saturday's "UFC Fight Night 23: UFC Fights for the Troops 2" event, he knows he can offer little in the way of big surprises for opponent Mark Hominick (19-8 MMA, 2-0 UFC).After all, Roop and Hominick are training partners who decided to split ways temporarily once they accepted their main-card bout, which airs on Spike TV live from Fort Bragg in Texas.
But despite their friendship, Roop told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) he has no problem ruining the party for Hominick, whom UFC president Dana White has promised a UFC 129 title shot with champ Jose Aldo if victorious on Saturday.
Roop doesn't taken the UFC's advance planning personally. After all, he's the first to sing Hominick's praises.
"Of course, I've heard the rumors," he said of the potential Aldo vs. Hominick title fight. "It's a big deal, and I think Mark deserves it if he gets past me. But that's a big if.
"I don't plan on losing this fight. It'd be nice for me to fight Jose Aldo, as well. We'll see how Jan. 22 plays out."
Roop has a blueprint to follow. After all, would-be Aldo opponent Josh Grispi was re-booked for a fight with youngster Dustin Poirier earlier this month at UFC 125 when the champ went down with an injury. What many expected to be a tune-up fight and title-shot qualifier for Grispi turned into disaster when Poirier dominated him for a unanimous-decision victory.
Roop said he's very impressed with Poirier, who got a huge popularity boost with the victory, and thinks he's future-champion material. And like Poirier, Roop isn't taking Hominick's preferred status as an insult.
"I don't take it too much as disrespect," he said. "I understand he's the No. 1 contender, and if he can get past me – a big 'can' with a question mark on it – I do think he deserves it. But if you look at the caliber of fighters I've been fighting – (former champ) Eddie Wineland, (Leonard) Garcia on a week-and-a-half's notice, and Chan Sung Jung, who (supposedly) couldn't be knocked out – I fought top-caliber guys, and I step up and take fights."
In fact, Roop arguably is coming off his biggest win yet. Back in September at WEC 51, he concluded his WEC career in stunning fashion with a head-kick KO of Jung that netted him the night's "Knockout of the Night" award. Until then, Jung never had been stopped, let alone knocked out.
Roop said it's all part of his overall improvement. After appearing on "The Ultimate Fighter 8" with barely a couple years of training, he eventually took a late-notice UFC fight with now-top-contender George Sotiropoulos. Roop knew he was a tough opponent, but he didn't hesitate to take the bout on short notice. He ultimately suffered a decision loss and left the organization. But he dropped weight and reemerged with the WEC, which gave him a second opportunity this past year.
"I'm trying to become better every single day I get in the gym," said the 6-foot-1 featherweight, who made his WEC debut as a bantamweight. "I've only been training four or five years ... so I'm trying to improve on a daily basis."
So why would he shake up things and leave his gym for a fight with Hominick? For one, Roop said he gets plenty of quality training in Arizona with the likes of training partners and coaches Ed West and Joey Rivera. And secondly, he knows Hominick and trainer Shawn Tompkins are close.
"It wasn't tough at all for me," Roop said of the temporary relocation to Arizona. "I understand the relationship that Mark and Shawn have. It's like a father and son right there. It's all business for me.
"Me and Mark have mixed it up in the gym quite a bit. He knows my strengths and weaknesses, and I know his as well. Shawn Tompkins is one of the best coaches in the world. They're going to bring a good game plan to the fight, but I also have great coaches and training partners out here in Arizona."
Roop grew up near the Fort Bragg military institution in North Carolina, and he has many friends serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. So he's excited to put on a show Saturday to entertain the troops. Others fans, he said, will be a byproduct of success in the cage.
"I'm not really worried about being popular or not popular," he said. "I worry about getting in there, getting dirty, getting the job done and kicking ass. ... That's my job on [Saturday]."
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