George H. Roop (born November 10, 1981) is a retired mixed martial artist. He was a cast member of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir, winning his preliminary and first round fights. He fought as a bantamweight in the UFC and most recently fought under the Road FC banner. He holds notable victories over former WEC Bantamweight champion Brian Bowles and UFC featherweight contender Chan Sung Jung.

George Roop
Born (1981-11-10) November 10, 1981 (age 43)
Tucson, Arizona, United States
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight135 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st)
DivisionBantamweight
Featherweight
Lightweight
Reach72.0 in (183 cm)[1]
Fighting out ofTucson, Arizona
TeamAPEX MMA
Years active2006–2017
Mixed martial arts record
Total29
Wins15
By knockout4
By submission4
By decision7
Losses13
By knockout5
By submission4
By decision4
Draws1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

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Roop is from Tucson, Arizona and began competing in martial arts from a young age, winning Tae Kwon Do and judo tournaments while following the UFC in its early days. He later attended Canyon Del Oro High School, where he was a quarterback on the football team and participated in wrestling in the 112 lbs. division, and had also wrestled in middle school. He attended Pima Community College but elected not to wrestle. He met former UFC fighters Drew Fickett and Efrain Escudero while attending PCC.[2]

Mixed martial arts

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Roop developed his mixed martial skills at The Ultima Martial Arts and Primero Jiu-Jitsu in Tucson, Arizona. Roop's main experience comes from fighting in an Arizona-based promotion, Rage in the Cage, where he was the featherweight champion. He has fought as a lightweight, featherweight and bantamweight.

Roop was originally a fighter for the team, The Ultima Martial Arts. When the Ultimate Fighter ended, Roop moved out to Las Vegas, Nevada and began his training with Xtreme Couture. After Shawn Tompkins left Xtreme Couture, Roop followed him and started fighting for Team Tompkins. Now, he fights out of APEX MMA in Tucson, AZ.

The Ultimate Fighter

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Roop defeated Rolando Delgado by decision in the preliminary round. This meant that he earned a shot in the TUF house. Roop was selected last overall in the team selections, by Team Mir. George's fight with John Polakowski was the last lightweight, first round fight. Right before the fight Roop broke his hand, during his team's practice. Roop won the fight by decision after two rounds. Frank Mir said it was the fight of the show. While Dana White stated "Sometimes fights that need a third round don't make it, even when they should."

In the semi-finals, Roop fought Phillipe Nover and lost in round one by submission.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Roop lost his UFC debut against former The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir castmate Shane Nelson. Roop lost the fight via split decision. Roop had his next fight at UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida where he defeated Dave Kaplan via split decision.

In his third UFC fight, Roop stepped in on very short notice to take on George Sotiropoulos at UFC 101.[3] Roop lost the fight in the second round after Sotiropoulos applied a kimura forcing Roop to tap instantly. Roop was let go, along with Thales Leites and Tamdan McCrory, after going 1-2 in the promotion.[4]

After release from the UFC

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After being released from the Ultimate Fighting Championships, Roop returned to the Rage in the Cage promotion to fight Matt Dell for the featherweight title.[5] The fight took place on November 14 with Roop winning all three rounds on every judges scorecard to capture the title.[6]

World Extreme Cagefighting

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Roop was signed by the WEC after going only 1-0 since being released from the UFC. He was set to make his debut against Jesse Moreng on January 10, 2010 at WEC 46,[7][8] but Moreng was forced off the card with an injury.[9] Roop instead went down two weight classes to bantamweight and faced Eddie Wineland.[10] Wineland defeated Roop via unanimous decision.[11]

Roop faced Leonard Garcia on March 6, 2010 at WEC 47 after he replaced Diego Nunes who was forced off the card with an injury.[12] The bout ended in a rare split draw but earned Fight of the Night honors.[13]

Roop next faced Chan Sung Jung on September 30, 2010 at WEC 51.[14] A significant underdog going into the fight, Roop won via KO due to a vicious head kick to the chin in the second round, earning him the Knockout of the Night bonus and giving Jung his first ever stoppage loss.[15][16]

Return to Ultimate Fighting Championship

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On October 28, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.[17]

Roop fought former Team Tompkins teammate & training partner, Mark Hominick on January 22, 2011 at UFC: Fight For The Troops 2.[18] Roop was knocked down multiple times and at just 1:28 of the first round Roop lost via TKO due to strikes.

Roop then faced Josh Grispi on June 4, 2011 at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale.[19] Although the underdog, he dominated the fight and finished Grispi with a body shot for the TKO finish in the third round.[20]

Roop faced world ranked Featherweight Hatsu Hioki on October 29, 2011 at UFC 137.[21] Roop lost via split decision.[22]

Roop next faced Cub Swanson on January 28, 2012 at UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis.[23] He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.

Roop was expected to face Antonio Carvalho on July 21, 2012 at UFC 149.[24] However, Roop was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Daniel Pineda.[25]

Roop was expected to return to Bantamweight and face Yuri Alcantara on January 19, 2013 at UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Bisping, replacing an injured Johnny Eduardo.[26] However, Roop was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by promotional newcomer Pedro Nobre.[27]

In his next fight, Roop faced Reuben Duran on March 16, 2013 at UFC 158.[28] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[29]

Roop faced Brian Bowles on May 25, 2013 at UFC 160.[30] He won the fight via TKO in the second round.[31]

Roop was expected to face Francisco Rivera on October 19, 2013 at UFC 166.[32] However, the pairing was shifted to November 6, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 31.[33] He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.

Roop faced Dustin Kimura on April 16, 2014 at The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale.[34] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[35]

Roop faced promotional newcomer Rob Font on July 5, 2014 at UFC 175.[36] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.

Roop faced Takeya Mizugaki on September 27, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 75.[37] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

On February 9, 2016, Roop was released from the UFC[38]

Road FC

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Roop signed a multi-fight deal with Road FC on March 22, 2016 and made his debut in Road FC 031 on May 14, 2016.[39] During the fight Roop attempted to strike his opponent, Yoon Jun Lee, with a front kick and suffered a broken leg resulting in a TKO loss.[40]

Personal life

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Roop is the father of 6 children. The eldest child, Julian died in 2009 at the age of seven.[41] [42][43]

During his long tenure under Zuffa promotions, he reinvested his salaries into licenses for growing medical cannabis and creating a cannabis production facility in his native Tucson.[44]

Championships and accomplishments

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Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
29 matches 15 wins 13 losses
By knockout 4 5
By submission 4 4
By decision 7 4
Draws 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 15–13–1 Yoon Jun Lee TKO (broken leg) Road FC 31 May 14, 2016 1 1:15 Seoul, South Korea
Loss 15–12–1 Takeya Mizugaki Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Barnett vs. Nelson September 27, 2015 3 5:00 Saitama, Japan
Loss 15–11–1 Rob Font KO (punch) UFC 175 July 5, 2014 1 2:19 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 15–10–1 Dustin Kimura Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale: Bisping vs. Kennedy April 16, 2014 3 5:00 Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Loss 14–10–1 Francisco Rivera TKO (punches) UFC: Fight for the Troops 3 November 6, 2013 2 2:20 Fort Campbell, Kentucky, United States
Win 14–9–1 Brian Bowles TKO (punches) UFC 160 May 25, 2013 2 1:43 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 13–9–1 Reuben Duran Decision (unanimous) UFC 158 March 16, 2013 3 5:00 Montreal, Quebec, Canada Return to Bantamweight.
Loss 12–9–1 Cub Swanson TKO (punches) UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis January 28, 2012 2 2:22 Chicago, Illinois, United States
Loss 12–8–1 Hatsu Hioki Decision (split) UFC 137 October 29, 2011 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 12–7–1 Josh Grispi TKO (body punch) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos Finale June 4, 2011 3 3:14 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 11–7–1 Mark Hominick TKO (punches) UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 January 22, 2011 1 1:28 Fort Hood, Texas, United States
Win 11–6–1 Chan Sung Jung KO (head kick) WEC 51 September 30, 2010 2 1:30 Broomfield, Colorado, United States Knockout of the Night.
Draw 10–6–1 Leonard Garcia Draw (split) WEC 47 March 6, 2010 3 5:00 Columbus, Ohio, United States Return to Featherweight. Fight of the Night.
Loss 10–6 Eddie Wineland Decision (unanimous) WEC 46 January 10, 2010 3 5:00 Sacramento, California, United States Bantamweight debut.
Win 10–5 Matt Dell Decision (unanimous) Rage in the Cage 137 November 14, 2009 3 5:00 Tucson, Arizona, United States Featherweight debut.
Loss 9–5 George Sotiropoulos Submission (kimura) UFC 101 August 8, 2009 2 1:59 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Win 9–4 Dave Kaplan Decision (split) UFC 98 May 23, 2009 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 8–4 Shane Nelson Decision (split) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir Finale December 13, 2008 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 8–3 Nick Buschman TKO (punches) WFC: Armageddon March 12, 2008 1 0:24 Denver, Colorado, United States
Win 7–3 Tito Jones Decision (unanimous) Rage in the Cage 101 October 6, 2007 3 3:00 Fountain Hills, Arizona, United States
Win 6–3 Andrew Belvado Submission (rear-naked choke) Cage Supremacy 2 July 22, 2007 1 1:01 Tucson, Arizona, United States
Loss 5–3 Austin Pascucci Submission (armbar) Rage in the Cage 96 June 15, 2007 1 2:08 Tucson, Arizona, United States
Loss 5–2 Ray Robinson Submission (armbar) Rage in the Cage 93 March 20, 2007 1 2:29 Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Win 5–1 Matt Dell Decision (split) Rage in the Cage 91 February 24, 2007 3 3:00 Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Win 4–1 Carlos Ortega Decision (unanimous) Rage in the Cage 88 November 11, 2006 3 3:00 Tucson, Arizona, United States
Win 3–1 Louie Rosa Submission (punches) Rage in the Cage 86 August 15, 2006 2 2:15 San Carlos, Arizona, United States
Loss 2–1 Nick Hedrick Submission (guillotine choke) Rage in the Cage 85 August 5, 2006 1 1:42 Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Win 2–0 Jason Sterling Submission (rear-naked choke) Rage in the Cage 84 July 1, 2006 1 0:37 Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Win 1–0 Austin Pascucci Submission (armbar) Rage in the Cage 82 May 26, 2006 2 2:42 Tucson, Arizona, United States

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Fight Card - TUF Nations Finale Bisping vs. Kennedy". UFC.com. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  2. ^ "411mania.com: MMA - the Past and Future 04.20.09: George Roop". Archived from the original on 2013-07-21. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  3. ^ "Rob Emerson out George Roop in vs. George Sotiropoulos at UFC 101". Archived from the original on 2009-07-28.
  4. ^ "Thales Leites and George Roop Released by UFC".
  5. ^ "George Roop set to face Matt Dell for Rage in the Cage Featherweight title Nov. 14th". Archived from the original on 2010-12-01.
  6. ^ "Weekend Rundown".
  7. ^ "George Roop vs Jesse Moreng set for WEC 46".
  8. ^ John Morgan. "George Roop signed to WEC, fights bantamweight Jesse Moreng at WEC 46". Archived from the original on 2009-11-23.
  9. ^ "Moreng forced to withdraw from WEC 46". mmajunkie.com. Archived from the original on 2009-12-24. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
  10. ^ "Rafael Rebello out; George Roop vs. Eddie Wineland in the works WEC 46 prelims". mmajunkie.com. Archived from the original on 2009-12-26. Retrieved 2009-12-24.
  11. ^ "WEC 46: Varner vs. Henderson results". wec.tv. 2010-01-11.
  12. ^ "George Roop tapped as late replacement, faces Leonard Garcia at WEC 47". mmajunkie.com. 2010-02-20. Archived from the original on 2010-02-23.
  13. ^ "WEC 47 bonuses: Garcia, Roop, Pettis and Benavidez each earn $10K awards". mmajunkie.com. 2010-03-07. Archived from the original on 2012-07-19.
  14. ^ "KOREAN ZOMBIE VS. ROOP ON TAP FOR WEC 51". mmaweekly.com. 2010-07-07. Archived from the original on 2010-07-11.
  15. ^ Michael David Smith (September 30, 2010). "WEC 51: George Roop KOs Chan Sung Jung". mmafighting.com. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
  16. ^ "WEC 51 bonuses: Roop, Torres, Cerrone and Varner earn $10K awards". MMAJunkie.com. 2010-10-01. Archived from the original on 2012-07-12.
  17. ^ "UFC and WEC set to merge in 2011; events to air on Versus and Spike TV". mmajunkie.com. October 28, 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-10-31.
  18. ^ "Mark Hominick vs. George Roop likely for UFC Fight Night 23". mmajunkie.com. November 8, 2010. Archived from the original on November 11, 2010.
  19. ^ "The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 13 Finale: Josh Grispi vs George Roop booked for June 4 in Las Vegas". mmamania.com. 2011-02-13.
  20. ^ Leland Roling (2011-06-04). "UFC Results TUF 13 Finale: George Roop Stops Josh Grispi, Dominates Despite Being Underdog". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2011-06-04.
  21. ^ "Hatsu Hioki to Make UFC Debut Against George Roop at UFC 137". bloodyelbow.com. 2011-07-09.
  22. ^ Michael David Smith (2011-10-29). "UFC 137: Hatsu Hioki Edges Out George Roop". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
  23. ^ "UFC on FOX 2 adds Roop vs. Swanson". mmajunkie.com. December 5, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-12-08.
  24. ^ "George Roop vs. Antonio Carvalho in the works for UFC 149 in Calgary". mmajunkie.com. April 10, 2012.
  25. ^ "George Roop out, Daniel Pineda meets Antonio Carvalho at UFC 149". mmajunkie.com. June 26, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-06-29.
  26. ^ "Johnny Eduardo out, George Roop in vs. Yuri Alcantara at UFC's return to Brazil". mmajunkie.com. November 2, 2012. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012.
  27. ^ "Pedro Nobre replaces George Roop, meets Yuri Alcantara at UFC on FX 7". mmajunkie.com. January 6, 2013.
  28. ^ "George Roop vs. Reuben Duran a late addition to UFC 158 lineup". mmajunkie.com. February 21, 2013.
  29. ^ Steven Marrocco (2013-03-16). "UFC 158 results: George Roop tops Reuben Duran for first bantamweight win". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-03-16.
  30. ^ Matt Erickson (March 28, 2013). "George Roop meets former bantamweight champ Brian Bowles at UFC 160". mmajunkie.com. Archived from the original on March 31, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  31. ^ Mike Chiapetta (2013-05-25). "UFC 160 results: George Roop upsets Brian Bowles via TKO". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
  32. ^ Staff (August 4, 2013). "George Roop vs. Francisco Rivera joins stacked UFC 166 lineup". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  33. ^ Staff (2013-08-23). "Rivera vs. Roop to UFC Fight Night 31". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-08-23.
  34. ^ Matt Erickson (2014-02-20). "George Roop vs. Dustin Kimura heads to TUF Nations Finale in Quebec". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
  35. ^ Ben Fowlkes (2014-04-16). "TUF Nations Finale results, photos: George Roop back on track, beats Dustin Kimura". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  36. ^ Staff (2013-06-13). "George Roop meets newcomer Rob Font at UFC 175 in Las Vegas". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
  37. ^ Staff (2015-07-30). "Takeya Mizugaki vs. George Roop slated for UFC Fight Night 75 in Japan". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-07-30.
  38. ^ Steven Marrocco (2014-09-26). "UFC Fight Night 75 results: Emotional Takeya Mizugaki outworks gritty George Roop". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-09-26.
  39. ^ Fight Network Staff (23 March 2016). "ROAD FC Signs George Roop to Exclusive Contract; Added to ROAD FC 031". Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  40. ^ MMA Fighting NewsWire (15 May 2016). "Former UFC fighter George Roop suffers gruesome injury during bout". Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  41. ^ "Still Mourning, 6-Footer Roop Redefined At 135 Pounds". ufc.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-07. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  42. ^ "Roop Proudly Piggybacking MMA's Zombie Craze". WEC.tv. 2010-09-27. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  43. ^ Holland, Jesse (16 May 2016). "Here's the X-ray of George Roop's broken leg ... and it's bad (pic)". Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  44. ^ Steven Marrocco (December 6, 2018). "Ex-UFC fighter George Roop realizes dream with Cannabis Campus". mmajunkie.com.
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