Shane Roller | Source: MMAWeekly.com
After reeling off two victories in the WEC’s lightweight division in 2008, Shane Roller was finished in the first round after being caught in a risky exchange with future Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson. Since that loss, the former D-1 wrestler from Oklahoma State has reeled off three wins over some of the top fighters in the division.
Taking some time away from final preparations the week before his next fight, Roller told Tapology’s Steven Kelliher why he feels a win over Anthony Pettis should earn him a shot at the belt. Roller also discussed his first fight with Henderson and the improvements he has seen in his game as of late.
Roller will take on Pettis on the main card of WEC 50, which takes place next Wednesday, August 18, from The Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card airs live on Versus.
Tapology: You have been on quite a roll lately and your lone WEC loss came to current Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson. Does the fact that he is now champion make that loss any easier to deal with?
Roller: No loss feels good. It still hurts every time I think about it. It should be me up there and I should have the belt, so it doesn’t make it any easier. It may even make it harder. I feel that I’m the best in the weight class, but it will come; I just have to keep doing what I’m doing and I’ll get to that belt.
Tapology: Do you use a desire for vengeance on Henderson as motivation during training?
Roller: Not necessarily to avenge that loss, but I always want to prove to everybody that I’m the best and I want the belt.
Tapology: You just defeated Anthony Njokuani in the first round, and a lot of people were high on him as the next title challenger. Were you nervous heading into that one because of his striking pedigree or were you confident that you could get him to the ground?
Roller: I was confident in that fight. I though it was a good stylistic match-up and I was confident on my feet too. I train with some very good strikers, but he put himself in that position against the cage so I decided to take a shot right out of the gate.
Tapology: With the exception of Henderson, it seems that everyone who fights you wants to keep the fight standing. Your next opponent, Anthony Pettis, has shown that he can get the submission off of his back as well as knock opponents out, so do you think he will be your toughest test to date?
Roller: He’s a tough fighter, but each upcoming fight is probably going to be a bigger challenge than the last. It’s a big challenge, but I’m looking forward to it and I like my chances.
I always tell everybody, my game plan doesn’t change. I want to get him down and get the submission or gain dominant position and stop him with punches. I feel that I’m getting to be a more complete fighter, and I know that I have the biggest advantage when I’m on the ground.
Tapology: You are relatively new to MMA, but you had a lengthy wrestling career. Are you beginning to feel like a veteran in there yet?
Roller: Every time I step in the cage I feel better and better. Early on in my career I would be a little nervous, wondering if my game was where it needed to be, but now I’m 100% confident and ready to go.
Tapology: You work with Johny Hendricks and Jake Rosholt over at Team Takedown. How does your team dynamic work?
Roller: I don’t train wrestling with Jake because he’s so much bigger than me, but just the team philosophy and being close knit, we’ve always had that from wrestling at Oklahoma together. We have the same goals and work ethic, so it’s nice to have a couple of friends with you rising to the top at the same time.
Tapology: Back to the fight at hand, there has been speculation that the winner of this fight could be next in line for a title shot. Do you try to put that out of your mind or does the fact that it could be for a title shot give you added motivation?
Roller: It doesn’t change anything. When I go into the cage I give it 110% regardless of what’s on the line. My last couple of fights they were talking about title implications, but I don’t listen to that stuff too much. I have to take care of business and worry about that stuff afterwards.
Personally, I don’t see anybody above me right now. If I beat Pettis, I don’t see how they could not give me a title shot. I’ve won three in a row and they have all been top contenders.
Tapology: If you could, explain why you would defeat Henderson should you get a shot at the belt while he is champion.
Roller: I think my wrestling is better, my submission game is better, and my hands have gotten a lot better. In my first fight I was using a couple of different boxing coaches and I did some defense at the wrong time and he caught me with a good punch. I feel 100 times more confident on my feet now, so stylistically I think it would be a great fight. I look forward to the day I get that rematch.
Interview Conducted by Steven Kelliher
