Horodecki on December 29th, but Guns is sneaky, so it depends on how healthy he is.



Bevois: Are there any heavyweights out there in the IFL or elsewhere that you would consider a dream match-up?

Roy: Well Fedor is the #1 fighter in the world and beating him would obviously make you the best fighter in the world. The fastest way to the top is a straight line, but I wouldn't mind fighting any of the top heavyweights.



Bevois: You were supposed to have a rematch against Ben Rothwell in November to avenge what many thought was home-cooking in your first fight last April. In that fight you controlled the pace, but somehow dropped a split-decision where 2 of the judges didn't even award you one round. The parody in scoring at the Moline event made many people want to see the rematch take place in Vegas. Is this something you'd be open to?

Roy: Well I already know I won that first fight and Ben isn't fighting in the IFL right now. I'd love to have the rematch in Vegas, but knowing that I already won that fight, I'd rather beat a Top 10 guy as a stepping-stone at this point.



Bevois: Have you ever thought about fighting for the UFC or other promotions?

Roy: I have always wanted to fight for the UFC because they have the most fans and the most market share, but it really depends. Honestly, right now I'd rather fight for M-1 Global or co-promote the IFL with M-1 Global, because they have Fedor.



Bevois: Your fight on Friday will be in Las Vegas. Are you looking forward to the hometown crowd?

Roy: I'm always looking to put on a good show for the Vegas crowd. I have more pressure, but I have a good support system. So win or lose I still have a place to call home.



Bevois: The IFL has made a lot of changes for the upcoming season, most notably the camp vs. camp format. How do you like these changes?

Roy: Nothing is new. The UFC has been emphasizing camp vs. camp for years. You always know if it's American Top Team vs. Miletich Fighting Systems of whatever. I do think that the former city vs. city format could have had a lot more to it. The way cities get behind their local teams and finance them with new things such as stadiums, who knows what could have happened if we kept that original format.



Bevois: You have a very impressive jiu-jitsu and submission grappling career. You have a win over 2x ADCC champion Jeff Monson at the Bud Cup via guard pass, as well as wins over Frank Mir (15-2), Brandon Vera (kneebar), and Diego Sanchez (19-2) in the same day. Do you have any plans in the near future to continue your jiu-jitsu and submission grappling career?

Roy: I love grappling. I did ADCC in 2003, but politics kept me out in 2005. Then in 2007, I had knee surgery that prevented me from competing. I'd like to keep competing as much as possible. I always will compete, even though I'm doing MMA now too. I'm not one of those guys that thinks he's too good for grappling shows once he's found success in MMA. Grappling is also unique in the way that people only care about your wins and tend to forget about the losses. In MMA, promoters might not pick you up if you lose. In grappling you can always leave it all out there and then get back on the horse. If you lose to someone in grappling, you can go right back out there in a few weeks and beat him and everything's fine.


Bevois: I saw you competing in the Pan American black-belt divisions last year. Are you headed back to the Pan Ams in a few weeks?

Roy: It depends on how things go for this fight. I'm always game for the Pan Ams, but it depends on how beat up I feel after the fight Friday.



Bevois: Who are some of the people you have looked up to in the sport as a source of inspiration?

Roy: Anybody that has been champion. Randy Couture is the guy that has shown that you don't need to win every fight to be considered a champion. He has one loss for every two wins and still made it to the top without being the best fighter. Like they said in Batman Begins: "Why do you fall down? … To get back up." Randy has that strong mental and that's what it takes to be a champion.



Bevois: You helped pack in the new OTM Fight Shop in Las Vegas for your autograph signing. What do you think of OTM's new 2000 square foot super store in Vegas?

Roy: I love it. It's a lot bigger than the last one and it's in a nice central location just off the Strip. It's great for the sport to see people support OTM, because they always support the fighters.



Bevois: You started a company, which specializes in rash guards called Dragonskinz several years ago. Do you have any other sponsors you'd like to thank?

Roy: Dragonskinz is one of the first fight clothing companies, as it came out in 1998 right around when TapouT first started. I'd also like to thank 108 clothing and anybody can get a free "Big Country" t-shirt by logging on to www.BigCountry.tv .



Bevois: Your fight will be televised live on HDNet on Friday night. Do you see this as a good way to show the world what "Big Country" is all about in the new look IFL?

Roy: Yeah, any exposure we get for the IFL and ourselves is good for the sport and the fans, because they get to see that there are other top fighters out there that don't fight in the UFC.



Bevois: Is there anything else you'd like to say before your fight on Friday night?

Roy: Thanks for the interview and everyone should tune in to HDNet or go to the fights live at the Orleans on Friday night. Also go to www.BigCountry.tv to get your free t-shirt. There's only 100 and they are only available while supplies last.