Ross Pearson Is Disappointed With Fighters Who Don’t Come to Win

Ross Pearson spoke with MMAjunkie for a new interview. Some highlights are below:

On being disappointed with certain aspects of MMA: “I just feel disappointed. I’m a little bit disheartened, but not about my own ability – because I’ve been here for nine years, and I know that I can fight the best fighters in the world. And if it comes down to the realness of having a fight, I can fight. I just struggle with guys who don’t come to fight and choose to play that game where they don’t want to get hit, they don’t want to get taken down. It’s hard for me to do anything offensive when they’re just not engaging. I’d like to see the yellow card come back and the deduction of the purses for non-action.”

The UFC Fight Night 99 loss involved some pretty curious scorecards, with one judge giving him all three rounds while the other two gave 30-27 marks for Ray. With his third straight setback (all coming via decision), Pearson said he feels like he’s “fighting four guys – the judges being three of them.”

On his plans for once he’s done with fighting: “After my career is done and I’m finished with fighting, I would like to be like an ambassador. Someone to teach these judges what they’re actually looking at and what they’re looking for, because I think it’s shocking right now. I’ve lost probably five fights in the UFC – not from losing the fight because the guy was better or because he was whooping my ass, (but) losing the fight because three judges didn’t know what they were scoring.“

On being the first person with five fights in 2016: “I don’t want to be a fighter that goes out on like six, seven, eight, nine losses. It would be different if I was getting hurt. It’d be different if I was getting taken out. It’d be different if I were getting outclassed. I haven’t even been hit in any of these fights. That’s why I’ve been able to fight five times this year. It’s not a fight. If you have five fights in a year at a top level and they’re real fights, your body is not going to make it.”

On saying that he “can’t keep doing this” after his Fight Night 99 loss: “I was literally so upset I could have taken my gloves off and thrown them down and said I was finished. But that’s not me. I’m a fighter, and bad (expletive) happens, and I come back from it.”

On his future with the company: “I still believe that you put me in there with the best guys, and then the best guys come to fight, you’ll see the best Ross Pearson. You’ll see the best fights. And that’s what I want. I’ll be more content and happy if I fought the best and we went out and fought and had it and the guy beat us, and I’ll be, ‘Well done mate. You were the best man on the night. You’ve done the best things. You beat us. Congrats.’ It’s just so frustrating to lose the way I’m losing.”

On fighters who go for point wins instead of “coming out and fighting”: “The way the guys are approaching the fights against us is just spoiling it for everyone. For the fans, for the UFC, for me, for themselves. Because who wants to see fighters fight like that? It’s just depressing.”