EXCLUSIVE | Roland Delorme discusses upcoming ‘Fight Night 37’ bout with Davey Grant

A bantamweight bout between Roland Delorme (9-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) and “The Ultimate Fighter 18″ finalist, Davey Grant (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC), is set to go down at the ‘UFC Fight Night 37’ event, which takes place March 8 live from London’s O2 Arena.

BJPENN.com’s Chris Taylor recently caught up with Delorme to discuss his upcoming overseas bout:

Chris: Hey Roland, first off very good to speak with you once again. Let’s start off by talking about your last fight at UFC 165 in Toronto, where you suffered a close split-decision loss to Alex “Bruce Leeroy” Caceres. How disappointed were you in the judges decision and what, if anything, did you take away from the bout?

Roland: You know, that was a close fight and whenever you have a close fight you never really know what the judges are gonna do. I thought I did enough in the first two rounds to win, but that’s life. I only trained two and a half weeks for that fight due to injuries and I couldn’t do any cardio. So, I knew I had to finish it early or I was going to tire out by the third haha.

Chris: The split-decision loss to Caceres was the first of your UFC career and only the second of your pro-career, with both defeats coming by way of judges split decisions. On the other hand, 8 of your 9 career victories of come by some form of stoppage. Safe to stay “Stunning” will be looking to keep it out of the judges hands at “UFC Fight Night 37?”

Roland: Well, both Me and Davey Grant have finishing power and seeing as he’s never been out of the second-round, it’s pretty fair to say that it probably won’t go the distance. He comes out very strong and overwhelms his opponents most of the time, but I’m not one to get pushed around and I love a good finish.

Chris: What are your keys to victory for getting passed the “Dangerous” Englishman?

Roland: Getting out of the first round is the first key and then taking him into deep water. I have to avoid being a punching bag and make him pay for his mistakes.

Chris: Your WAMMA (Winnipeg Academy of Mixed Martial Arts) training partner, Louis Fisette, was on Season 18 of ‘TUF’ and a friend of Davey’s in the house. Has Louis been able to give you any valuable ‘inside’ information on your March opponent?

Roland: Well although they were friends, they weren’t teammates. But, they did fight each other, so learning from his (Louis’) mistakes is key and he has been giving me some good advice on what I should be working on the most.

Chris: This will be the first time in your career that you have travelled overseas for a fight. How, if at all, do you have to prepare differently leading up to this bout in London, England?

Roland: The main thing is that I want to have my weight a little lower then I usually would, just to make my cut easier overseas.  With not really knowing what the situation will be when I get there, I want to have an easy cut and not stress my body to much.

Chris: Are you excited at the idea of fighting overseas and going to London?

Roland: Honestly, I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to fight overseas for a long time and I am very excited about it!

Chris: Your last 3 UFC fights have taken place in cities where you had “homefield advantage.” (Calgary, your hometown of Winnipeg and Toronto.) How does it feel to be going into what is likely to be hostile territory in London?

Roland: I’d honestly rather fight away from home. I always perform better and I love when people hate me.

Chris: Do you find there is more pressure when fighting infront of a home crowd?

Roland: Oh yeah, there’s way more pressure. Especially in your home city, that I know, but that’s on him and not me, so I don’t have to worry about it.

Chris: What are your goals for the 2014 calender year?

Roland: To rack up as many wins as possible and enjoy the opportunities I get.

Chris: What was your take on the Barao vs. Faber fight and Herb Dean’s stoppage?

Roland: I don’t think it was a bad stoppage. Since when is laying on your stomach holding an ankle intelligently defending yourself?

Chris: Who do you think should be next to get a crack at Renan’s belt?

Roland: I would say Rafael Assuncao, since he beat Dillashaw and Baroa has beaten everyone else.

Chris: Thanks again for taking the time to talk Rolly, any last words for your fans or your ‘UFC Fight Night 37″ opponent Davey Grant?

Roland: Expect a FUCKING FIGHT!

Be sure to catch Roland Delorme in action next month when he fights Davey Grant at the “UFC Fight Night 37” event in London, England on March 8. The Delorme vs. Grant bout will be a part of the events preliminary card, which airs live on UFC Fight Pass.