Blake "The Rowdy Rooster" Kellogg Felix Joyner interview

In the Blake "The Rowdy Rooster" Kellogg Felix Joyner interview for MILLIONS, the heavyweight said he will fight Brian Robinson at the Waterloo Convention Center on Saturday. He also described losing about 50 pounds while preparing to return after roughly a year away and trying to rebound from three consecutive losses.

How did Blake "The Rowdy Rooster" Kellogg build his MMA career?

Blake "The Rowdy Rooster" Kellogg came to MMA through wrestling, amateur kickboxing and some boxing. He began wrestling at 11, entered MMA at 25 and fought for B2 Fighting Series before turning professional. He said those earlier sports made him want to combine striking and grappling rather than choose between them.

Wrestling at 11 and moving into striking

Kellogg said his parents signed him up for wrestling because he was a difficult kid. He watched WWE, and his parents presented wrestling as a way to encounter the real demands of the sport. He enjoyed it, learned the basics and continued wrestling in school. Later, he competed in amateur kickboxing and did some boxing.

Each discipline led him toward another. Wrestling showed him there was more to learn; kickboxing gave him the chance to punch and kick. MMA appealed because he could do both. Kellogg described that progression as a chain of interests rather than a single decision to become a fighter.

B2 Fighting Series and his coaches

At 25, Kellogg began competing in MMA with B2 Fighting Series. He said he spent a few years with the organization, fought for other promotions and had a 7-7 record before going professional. He also spoke about training with Monroe Mixed Martial Arts in Wisconsin, where he worked with a former coach for about five years. Before that, he said, his coach was Jeremy Castro.

How did Blake "The Rowdy Rooster" Kellogg prepare for Brian Robinson?

Blake "The Rowdy Rooster" Kellogg said his preparation for Brian Robinson has involved three gyms, conditioning work and changes to his diet. After roughly a year away from fighting, he said he had lost about 50 pounds and was concentrating on muscle, cardio and calisthenics for his return.

Training across three gyms

Robinson also trains at one of the gyms Kellogg uses, according to Kellogg, but they attend on different days. That arrangement has left Kellogg able to train at other gyms as well. He described the work as a sustained effort to get back into fighting shape, rather than a change made only for this opponent.

Weight loss and Robinson's time away

Kellogg said he weighed 266 pounds for his last fight and 223 pounds at the time of the interview. He separately estimated that he had lost about 50 pounds during his work on his body. He said Robinson has had many fights but has not competed in a cage for 13 years. Despite the matchup, Kellogg said he respects him and holds no personal grudge.

What did Blake "The Rowdy Rooster" Kellogg say about amateur vs professional MMA?

Blake "The Rowdy Rooster" Kellogg sees turning professional as a lasting decision that brings more experienced specialists into the cage. He said amateur fights gave him room to experiment, while professional opponents may have spent decades training. His own move came after a 7-7 amateur run, and he is now trying to recover from three straight losses.

Kellogg contrasted the three three-minute rounds he associated with amateur competition with the demands he sees at the professional level. He pointed to Sambo champions and Muay Thai specialists as examples of the backgrounds a fighter can encounter. For him, an opponent's experience matters because that fighter has already made mistakes and learned from them.

On the decision to turn pro, Kellogg put his view plainly:

once you go pro there's no going back

He said the chance of paid professional debuts can make that decision tempting, but it is still one a fighter should consider carefully. Kellogg also discussed travel for training as a way to add skills, mentioning Korea, Russia and Brazil. He cited Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre and Frank Mir while talking about established fighters and overseas camps; he did not say that he had trained in those countries himself.

Kellogg acknowledged that his recent opponents have been tough and experienced. He wants to learn from those fights, but he also described a three-fight losing run as a significant problem he intends to turn around.

What did Blake "The Rowdy Rooster" Kellogg say about his next fight with Brian Robinson?

Blake "The Rowdy Rooster" Kellogg said he will face Brian Robinson at the Waterloo Convention Center in Waterloo, Iowa, on Saturday. He identified the event as Fairy Fight Series Hostile Territory number six and described the bout as three five-minute MMA rounds. He wants to show Robinson what kind of fighter he is, then leave their differences in the cage.

Before entering a cage, Kellogg said he spends a few minutes thinking about difficult experiences and people who have hurt him. He holds on to those emotions as he approaches the fight, describing the feeling in his head as “rage in the cage.” It is the mental routine he described, not a claim about how the Robinson fight will end.

Kellogg said Robinson had not said much that was negative about him, though he felt Robinson might not understand his abilities. He also said he had heard it might be Robinson's last fight. That was not something Kellogg presented as confirmed. Whatever happens between them in the cage, he hoped they could share a beer afterward.

Why did Blake "The Rowdy Rooster" Kellogg return to fighting?

Blake "The Rowdy Rooster" Kellogg said training gives him a direction he did not have during a rough period in his life. He recalled drinking and smoking while watching the UFC at a bar, then deciding to stop those habits and pursue fighting again after a bartender challenged his ambition.

Kellogg said he was sitting in a small-town bar watching the UFC when he told the bartender he wanted to be a fighter. The bartender pointed out that he was there drinking and smoking cigarettes. Kellogg said he resolved not to keep doing that and wanted to get back to where he had been as a fighter.

Asked what keeps him going, he described thinking about the alternative to training and the kind of person he might become if he returned to those habits. He said he was trying to figure out who he was during that rough patch and believes he has a clearer answer now. His goal in returning is tied to that personal change as well as to his results in the cage.

What did Blake "The Rowdy Rooster" Kellogg say about merchandise and sponsors?

Blake "The Rowdy Rooster" Kellogg said fans can find his fights on YouTube and contact him about merchandise through Facebook. He would also like an energy-drink sponsor and has thought about a drink of his own. He presented that as an ambition, not as a product or sponsorship already in place.

Where fans can find his fights and merchandise

Kellogg said searching for Rowdy Rooster MMA on YouTube brings up his fights. He described shirts available by special order, along with items such as beanies, hats and sweatpants, and directed interested fans to his Facebook presence. He also thanked his family, friends, Coach Adam and Coach Travis for helping him along the way.

His idea for an energy drink

When asked about a potential endorsement, Kellogg chose an energy drink. He said he is not much of a coffee drinker and floated the idea of a drink associated with his Rowdy Rooster name. He added that he was open to a substantial sponsorship offer rather than committed to one particular company. C4 came up as a suggestion from Felix Joyner, not as a sponsor Kellogg said he had secured.

Who is Blake "The Rowdy Rooster" Kellogg?

Blake "The Rowdy Rooster" Kellogg is a professional MMA heavyweight from Potosi, Wisconsin. Known as The Rowdy Rooster, he brings a power-focused, determined and relentless fighting style to the cage.