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The Independent
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
‘I was chewed up and spat out – fighters deserve better': Danny Roberts on starting fresh after post-UFC pain
Being a professional fighter does not guarantee the lavish lifestyle many may portray it to. For British ex- UFC star Danny Roberts, he knows this all too well. 'I was a kid that came from a tough upbringing, a lot of adversity and abuse.' The Croydon-raised brawler grew up without a father figure and came into the sport not to build a personal brand or take over the world, but to provide a certain life and be 'the man that he didn't have' for his children. Roberts, 37, spent close to eight years fighting under the UFC banner. In that time he had 14 bouts, one of which in 2022 came against current welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena. But it's since his departure that things have come into perspective on the MMA industry as a whole. 'Hot Chocolate' has not fought since his final UFC outing, a wild clash against Jonny Parsons in his home city in July 2023. His eventual cut in January of this year was far from the perfect end, with the UFC toying with his future to leave his source of income in limbo for over a year. 'My last fight in the UFC, I got fight of the night,' he told The Independent. 'Then I got told I was to have another fight, but it got to the point where a year had passed by. If I would have turned around and just left then, I could have probably been back where I needed to be a lot sooner. But that is what it is. 'As far as the UFC is concerned, I had an absolutely phenomenal time. It's part of my life that I'm never ever going to forget. But there is definitely a lot of ups and downs and a lot of things that could be better for the athletes – look after the athletes better and have their best interests in mind, because we're at the bottom of the food chain. It's like crabs in a bucket. 'Everyone's fighting to get to the top, and if you're not at the top, you ain't got s***. That's not good enough. We're talking about the premiership organisation of the world. The 20 years of your f****** life you give to be a part of that, training every day and being away from friends, family, relationships to be able to do what you can do. It's not very stable – it's like the one per cent of the one per cent.' Close to two years out of the cage, it looked like he would be making his return in the fledgling GFL, which was fronted by major names including Tony Ferguson, Alexander Gustaffson and Uriah Faber. However, the star-studded promotion collapsed before it even began, cancelling its inaugural two events, the first of which included Roberts's planned clash against Neiman Gracie. 'This is one of the things all fighters have issues with,' he said. 'There is no governing body, there is no one that can look after our best interests, so it's very hard. We get used, we get chewed up, we get spat out, and the only thing that we have is to look after ourselves. 'As fighters we're very hopeful, very ambitious, very driven, so you go and give us some sort of magic in front of us, our eyes light up. The GFL was that. It looked like it was legit.' Roberts has since found stability in the PFL and is set to make his promotional debut on 5 July, assuming the villain role as he main events against undefeated hometown hero Patrick Habirora in Brussels, Belgium. 'Creating the upset is something I relish,' he says, repeatedly expressing his gratitude to the company for the opportunity. However, he has not lost sight of the wider issues with MMA, an industry where inequality and poor communication with its 'pawns' are rife. To Roberts, unionisation would be a way to combat these problems. 'There should be,' he says when asked if the sport should have a union. 'Can you look at any other sport in the world [that doesn't have unionisation]? This isn't me trying to badmouth, I'm just speaking the gospel truth about it. 'We put our livelihoods on the line and miles on the clock. We do irreversible damage to our bodies. Yes, it's obviously our choice to do that, but it's one of the hardest ways to go and earn a paycheck, and whether you've got to be tapped in the head or just delusional to do that, we should still be valued. 'We're athletes also. We're doing what we need to do to be able to get the best for our families, and I've experienced – within a few months of leaving UFC – scraping around to find pennies to pay bills. When that comes as a realisation, it's not good.' Problems with the fighting world he may have, but Roberts is not yet ready to step away from the cage for good. 'My heart and my head are still very much in this game.' Retirement is not on his mind as he embarks on his latest career chapter in PFL, seeking to 'shoot for the stars and succeed'. But with 15 years on his professional fighting stopwatch, Roberts is fully aware that outside of the cage, the room for improvement is endless.
Daily Mail
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Royal Ascot punters 'moved like professional fighters' during brawl in front of shocked onlookers and were 'part of the same group', says man who filmed viral footage of scrap
The man who filmed a viral punch-up between two racegoers on Ladies' Day at Royal Ascot has described how the pair moved like 'professional' fighters as a pal acted as their referee while they traded blows. Jermaine Kingsman, 34, shot the widely seen footage of two men in grey and cream suits engaging in a bloody brawl after 'squabbling' on the edge of the Bandstand Lawn at Ascot last Thursday. The footage has since spread across social media and has been viewed millions of times by viewers horrified at the sight of the man in the cream suit, left bloodied after being slammed face-first into the ground during the brutal and shocking scrap. Jermaine - known to pals as Jem - says he was stunned to witness the fight at around 3.30pm during his first ever visit to Ascot - and is convinced at least one of those scrapping was a professional fighter based on his moves. Mr Kingsman, who owns his own clothing business, has even offered the bloody-nosed man a free suit after the clip blew up his inbox. 'That guy in the grey, I don't know who he is or what martial arts training he's done, but it looks like he's a professional boxer,' he told MailOnline. 'I've never seen anything like it - he was landing clean punches. He didn't miss a single punch. Pardon my French, but he beat the s*** out of that kid.' The 34-year-old and his friends had only just arrived half an hour beforehand, hours after the gates had first opened, when they saw the two men squaring up. Do you know the men seen fighting? Email: He believes the pair had been drinking before a disagreement broke out between the pair, who were part of the same group. 'It starts at 10.30, doesn't it? So people drinking from 10 in the morning, sun's out, birds around and gambling? It's a recipe for disaster,' he said. 'There was a bit of an argument going on between the lads. We weren't close enough to see what they were actually arguing about, but they were squabbling, and it looked like they were part of the same group. 'All their friends were around them and just letting them crack on and have a fight. You can see it in the video - there's a lad there who looks like he's being the referee.' In jaw-dropping scenes of violence, the men are seen trading blows, the man in grey swinging his entire body into the punch as he leaps and squats like a boxer, light on his feet. As they lay into one another, a man in cream trousers and waistcoat and a black shirt is seen putting his arms towards the pair, as if ready to separate them at any moment. 'It was like he was making sure it was some kind of even straightener (fair fight) - he was just letting them have it out and making sure no one else got involved,' Mr Kingsman said. 'I'm all for people having a good time but I've seen a lot of fights go the wrong way, people getting involved, people rushing in, but that was almost old school. It was madness.' As the fight continues to unfold in front of shocked onlookers, the man in cream then head-charges his opponent in grey, clutching at his body before he is thrown to the floor face-first and hit in the head with another punch. Rolling onto his back and struggling to his feet, the man in the cream suit is seen bleeding heavily from his face, onto the lapels of his jacket. He wipes the blood from his face onto his hand before smearing it on the leg of his suit. The fight then cooled off, Mr Kingsman said. He was seen wiping the blood from his face and onto his suit. Mr Kingsman has offered to replace the suit, free of charge 'After that the lads just broke up. I don't know where the security was but then they just separated and went about their business, to be honest,' he continued. 'That video's gotten five, six million views on Twitter. I think the video has gone viral because of the way that guy (in the grey) was fighting.' Mr Kingsman, from east London, was equally amused because the cream suit the man in the video was wearing looked eerily similar to one he sells through his own startup clothing business, SUITD. It's so similar, in fact, that he is willing to provide the scrapping racegoer with a replacement suit from his range, free of charge. 'If I find out who the guy was, I'll give him a free suit. I think that's the least I could do after what he's gone through,' he added. Ascot Racecourse said the individuals involved had been removed after the fight took place. Organisers of this year's festival had rolled out a 'zero-tolerance' operation to keep the peace after some 36 people were arrested in 2024, with alleged offences ranging from assault to drink-driving and possession of Class A drugs. There were also concerns over dehydration and heatstroke at this year's festival amid a heatwave that saw scores of people report to the course's medical centre over the course of the weekend. A spokesperson previously said of the incident: 'We operate a strict behavioural management policy and take a zero-tolerance approach to antisocial behaviour. 'Both individuals were apprehended and ejected, with one requiring medical treatment on site.' Thames Valley Police is continuing to appeal for information in connection with the scrap last week. No arrests have been made. A spokesperson for the force said: 'We are aware of an affray that has taken place inside Ascot Racecourse on Thursday (19/6). 'An investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident are ongoing, and we would ask anyone who recognises the people in the video to please come forward, as they may have vital information to assist us with our investigation. 'Anyone with information or footage should call us on 101 quoting reference 43250306653 or report online via our website. 'Alternatively, you can also call the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.'
