Summerside's Rocky

Lightweight Champion prepares for title defense

S. Ryan Quigley

Journal Pioneer

CAPTION: Steve Rogers spars with Ryan Gallant as he prepares for his fight against Ricky Goodall on May 7 at the Casino New Brunswick. PHOTO QUIGLEY/ JOURNAL PIONEER

SUMMERSIDE- Steve Rogers was on his couch watching a Mixed Martial Arts event on TV when he told his wife, Jana Selby-Rogers he would like to try that.

Rogers had been involved in boxing since he was young, even becoming a coach at one point, so Jana began trying to find him a fight.

It’s been five years since that night and now the 33 year-old Summerside man is now getting ready to defend his Lightweight championship in the Elite 1 MMA promotion’s May 7 fight card in Moncton at the Casino New Brunswick.

Mixed Martial Arts is a combat sport that brings together many different styles of fighting and fighters into one cage or ring. Some of the styles used include wrestling, jiu jitsu, boxing and kick boxing and is one of the fastest growing sports in the world.

Steve’s Mixed Martial Arts Lightweight title defense will be against Ricky Goodall, a fighter from Nova Scotia where he looks for his fifth professional win.

In preparation for the fight, Steve’s training regiment consists of a 6 km run every morning, going to work at Wiebel Aerospace, going to Island Impact, his club where he trains MMA with anyone else looking to get into the sport including two other professional fighters Brad Collicutt and Ryan Gallant. He trains there four nights a week for two hours.

Goodall’s striking will be what he’s looking out for in the fight, said Rogers.

“His striking. He’s a little bit taller than I am, so he’s going to have a little bit longer of a reach and I’d say his kicks are probably going to be pretty hard.”

CAPTION: Steve Rogers trains his boxing with coach Joe Borden as he prepares for his fight against Ricky Goodall on May 7 at the Casino New Brunswick. Photo QUIGLEY/ JOURNAL

Goodall is cutting to the 155 lbs weight class from his regular class of 170, which Steve feels will give him an advantage in the later rounds.

“If the fight goes into deep water, then for sure. If it goes into the second or third round.”

Steve said his perfect fight though wouldn’t take him into those later rounds.

“Knock him out in 20 seconds,” he said. “Get in and get it done.”

Steve said his never say die fighting style can be compared to that of Clay Guida in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

“Mostly because I’m just going to keep coming and I’m going to keep trying to walk through anything you throw at me to try and win. He sometimes takes a lot of abuse in his fights.”

Though the sport gets criticized for being violent, Steve and Jana both agree it’s safe.

“People say to me ‘Aren’t you worried he’s going to get hurt?’ Of course I’m worried he’s going to get hurt, it’s a fight, of course I’m worried. But I see how much goes into it,” Jana said. “It’s not just a bunch of guys jumping in a cage fighting.”

“For the most part, it’s probably the most sportsmanlike sport I’ve ever been in,” said Steve.

He said though he is on the tail end of his career, there is still one more thing he’d like to see.

“I’d really like it to come to the Island and stay involved with it here.”

Tickets to the fight are still available.