Bert MMA Melissa Montenegro interview on his next fight

The Bert MMA Melissa Montenegro interview put Robert Tellez’s next steps in focus: he accepted a short-notice amateur fight in Mississippi for October 17, and he said a professional debut in Kentucky could follow if he wins, gets a finish and stays healthy. The 4-0 amateur also explained why his wrestling background makes those late calls easier to take—and what repeated weight cuts cost him as a college student.

How did Bert MMA move from wrestling and boxing into MMA?

Bert MMA began with high school wrestling, then took six boxing fights over one summer before turning to MMA. Tellez said he went 5-1 in boxing, with three knockouts, and saw MMA as a way to use both his striking experience and the wrestling he could rely on when a fight changed direction.

Six boxing fights in one summer

He started competing in boxing about two years before the conversation, despite having no prior boxing experience. The quick run gave him time in competition, but it also prompted a question: with wrestling already in his background, why not bring the two together in MMA?

Tellez said he was scheduled for an MMA fight soon after turning 18, then had to wait after breaking his hand on an opponent’s body with a punch. Once he could compete, he tried to fight as often as possible. He does not count his high school wrestling as part of his combat-sport record, but he credits it with preparing him for unfamiliar opponents.

Wrestling without a named opponent

In wrestling, he recalled, he would make weight and compete against someone he had not prepared for specifically. His MMA bookings have often felt similar: he described accepting fights with three days’ or a week’s notice, leaving little time to study an opponent. If his striking is not working, he said, he knows he can turn to a takedown and a submission.

Why does Bert MMA value his amateur MMA record over his boxing record?

Bert MMA said his 4-0 amateur MMA record, with four finishes, means more to him than his 5-1 boxing record. He enjoyed boxing training but not the fights themselves, and he sees MMA as a better fit because grappling gives him another way to respond when exchanges on the feet become difficult.

A boxing loss that stayed with him

Before his boxing loss, Tellez met an older, more experienced opponent and noticed a fresh memorial tattoo for the man’s mother. Tellez read the encounter as a sign that his opponent had a deeply personal reason to fight, while he himself was largely there to test what he could do. That difference in motivation stayed with him.

He said his boxing wins came against younger opponents in North Carolina, while his MMA fights have been against adults. Although he won boxing belts, he does not regard them as his main accomplishment. He also disliked the feeling that, unless he stopped an opponent, a boxing match meant enduring three rounds of repeated punches.

Four MMA finishes, with room to improve

The undefeated MMA record has not made him uncritical of his performances. Tellez recalled awkward takedown attempts, getting caught while throwing a front kick and being knocked down in his second fight. He said his jaw was hurt in that bout. Winning and finishing each fight matters to him, but so does seeing what went wrong along the way.

What did Bert MMA say about his next fight and possible pro debut?

Bert MMA said he accepted a short-notice amateur fight in Mississippi for October 17 after another fighter’s opponent withdrew. He also said he had been approached about a professional debut in Kentucky against a 1-1 opponent about a month later, but only if he won the Mississippi fight with a finish and remained healthy.

The short-notice fight in Mississippi

Tellez described receiving a message on a Tuesday asking whether he would step in. The fight was not for a title, which he connected to the late booking. He said he would like a title opportunity, but the bouts offered to him have repeatedly come on short notice.

He wanted to keep the Mississippi fight standing and pursue a knockout rather than rely on grappling again. That was a preference, not a promise: he said that if his opponent hurt him on the feet, he would wrestle. His experience has taught him to treat that option as part of his plan, even when he hopes to show more of his striking.

A conditional offer in Kentucky

The proposed Kentucky bout would be closer to home than many of his previous trips. Tellez put it at about seven hours away, compared with roughly 10 to 12 hours for other fight travel. He did not present the professional booking as settled; his result in Mississippi and the condition of his hands and feet would determine whether he could take it.

How do weight cuts affect Bert MMA’s training and college life?

Bert MMA said repeated weight cuts take time and energy away from school, friends and family while he studies full time and pursues fighting. He also described the physical toll: his hands and feet often give him trouble, and he has gone to class visibly marked up after competing.

Food, class and time away

When he is not close to a fight, Tellez’s usual pre-training meal is about 12 gyoza, scrambled eggs and plenty of water. He likes that it keeps him full through practice. During the cut he described to Montenegro, that meal was off the table: he said he was eating very little and was still 14 pounds above the required weight.

He makes money from YouTube and Instagram alongside being a college student. Fighting affects his coursework and reduces time with people close to him, he said. He recalled explaining his appearance to a teacher after traveling to Florida for an MMA fight. He expects to give those other parts of life more attention when he is no longer fighting.

Why he questions the weight-cut routine

Tellez recalled a planned fight at 135 pounds that he and his opponent agreed to move to 145 after comparing their weights. The bout was later canceled when he broke his hand, but the discussion left him wondering why fighters could not more often compete nearer their weights during camp.

After weigh-ins, he said, he drinks water with Liquid I.V. quickly—typically around a gallon and a half in the first hour. He questioned whether that routine is healthy. Asked what sports nutrition brand he would choose to partner with, he picked Liquid I.V. because he uses it when rehydrating.

How does Bert MMA stay calm when a fight goes wrong?

Bert MMA said he tries not to become tense when a fight turns against him. Rather than treating every difficult moment as a crisis, he stays loose and looks for a practical response. He pointed to a fight in which he was knocked down, then recovered, took his opponent down and finished with a rear-naked choke.

After the knockdown, Tellez recalled looking toward his father and remaining composed enough to wrestle. He contrasted that reaction with the panic he thinks can take over when a fighter feels compelled to fix everything immediately.

He does not dismiss the seriousness other fighters bring to competition. Tellez noted that the boxer who beat him had a different level of motivation. For his own MMA fights so far, though, a calmer approach has helped him make decisions after being hurt.

What does Bert MMA want from a professional career and fighting overseas?

Bert MMA said his minimum professional goal is to win at least one fight, but his larger ambition is to use fighting to travel overseas. His amateur path has already taken him away from North Carolina, and the possibility of seeing new places and cultures is a major reason he wants to continue.

Tellez lives in North Carolina and named Michigan, Virginia and Florida among the places he has fought. He also discussed the Mississippi booking and the possible Kentucky debut. He does not see himself as someone whose fighting ambitions are limited to his home state.

Describing the appeal of that path, Tellez put his priorities plainly:

I love training I love competing but I love traveling as well

He wants an eventual overseas fight to combine competition with the chance to fly somewhere new and experience another culture. He did not name a destination or promotion he had arranged to fight for; both the overseas goal and the Kentucky pro debut remained possibilities he hoped to pursue.

Who is Bert MMA?

Bert MMA is Robert Tellez, the host of the Bert MMA channel. He covers mixed martial arts news, fighter insights and events. In his conversation with Melissa Montenegro, he also discussed his own amateur MMA career and his aim to compete professionally.