Julian Erosa: Whether I’m Winning or Losing, I Don’t Like to See 15 Minutes

Every time Julian Erosa steps into the cage, fans can expect fireworks, since “The Ultimate Fighter Season 22” semifinalist isn’t looking to leave things to the judges. Erosa (26-9, 4-5 UFC) is coming off a recent victory over Charles Jourdain thanks to a brabo choke that forced Jourdain to tap for the first time in his career. Now, “Juicy J” faces Steven Peterson in a featherweight affair at the upcoming UFC Fight Night 200. Erosa has scored four wins in his last five appearances, all inside the distance. He is aiming to add one more quick victory to his resume on Feb. 5.

“Regardless of how the rounds are going, I’m always thinking to finish,” Erosa told Sherdog. “I’m always looking for a knockout finish, I’m always looking for a submission because, nowadays especially, these decisions are questionable. Some of these decisions that happen, you don’t want to be on the wrong side of a bad decision. For me, I’d rather just take it into my own hands, and I think if I have the ability to finish, I might as well go for it. I think that’s what the fans want to see anyways. You know, there is a fine line. People want to win the fight, they want to make their second paycheck, they want to keep their winning streak alive, they want to keep their job with the UFC, so some people want to be more careful and, if they can win kind of a boring decision, they might do that or be more apt. For me, I’ve always been throwing caution to the wind and whether I’m winning or I’m losing, I don’t like to see 15 minutes. I think if you see 15 minutes and you have any energy left in you, I think it’s a waste.”

Dana White's Contender Series veteran Erosa also discussed spending his training camp at Xtreme Couture and commented on the performance of his teammate Francis Ngannou, his friendship with Jorge Alcala, and more.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro
(00:40) What he expects from Peterson
(01:37) Talking about finishing his opponents
(03:24) His favorite submission technique
(04:45) Where he spent his training camp
(06:06) Commenting on Ngannou’s performance at UFC 270
(08:27) The adjustments he made in his training routine
(09:54) Training with Alcala
(11:00) Looking for a finish against Peterson
(11:33) Picking Jack Hermansson vs. Sean Strickland
(12:50) Outro

Tudor Leonte started writing about mixed martial arts in 2013 for Italian media outlets. His journey with Sherdog began in 2018 and he now covers One Championship and countless European shows. You can follow him on Twitter @MrTudorLeonte.