Robert Drysdale choking Mike Nickels at an Armageddon FC event

By Kelsey Mowatt

Having secured another submission win to extend his pro MMA record to 6-0 in April, it remains to be seen what’s next for former ADCC champion Robert Drysdale. Considering the 32 year-old’s grappling resume and his continued success in MMA, however, Drysdale should have plenty of opportunities coming his way in the foreseeable future.

“I’ve never seen it like that man,” Drysdale said on Full Contact Fighter Radio recently, while discussing whether he’s hoping to land a high profile contract with an organization like the UFC. “To me, my focus and my energy, on the abstract end, it was always how good can I get today? What do I need to do so I can become better? That’s how I always saw it.”

“I think in the sport of MMA there aren’t too many options outside the UFC,” furthered Drysdale. “So I think eventually that’s going to happen, but when I started training MMA, it wasn’t like ‘oh, I have a goal and that’s being in the UFC.’ That wasn’t it. My goal was how good can I get in this sport?”

Drysdale’s latest MMA performance took place in April, when he tapped out DJ Linderman with a first round, rear-naked-choke at LegacY FC 21.

“I plan on getting in at least one more MMA fight this year,” said Drysdale. “Right now I’m trying to get a Thai Boxing fight. I want to get some stand-up experience. I was trying to get on a smoker or something, but I can’t fight amateur I have to fight pro. So I want to do that; just for the fun of it.”

Drysdale at the 2007 ADCC

To date, Drysdale has matched the hype that accompanied his transition into MMA, as not only has the renowned BJJ black belt gone undefeated thus far, all six victories have come via first round, tap-out.

“I haven’t really been able to strike in many of my fights, mainly because it’s what I’m second best at,” Drysdale noted. “So, I don’t see the point in using my second best weapon if I can use the best weapon. So that’s my plan in MMA and I don’t plan on changing it.”

“At the same time, I guess more for my confidence than anything, I’d like to just go out there and win a fight, knock someone out, just stay on my feet. I’ve been working on it for so long I feel confident that I can strike with people, but when you’re in there, I really want to win. I don’t care how I win.”

While Drysdale continues to improve his striking as part of his evolution as a fighter, that doesn’t mean the light-heavyweight has lost any of his enthusiasm for the art that made him famous.

“I think there’s so much finesse in a submission,” said Drysdale, who operates his own jiu-jitsu gym in Las Vegas, but oversees affiliated schools around the world. “Most people prefer a knockout over a submission but I prefer a submission.”