David Roberts is both a professional MMA fighter and a professional racing driver. At the age of 16, Roberts used his savings to purchase a used CRG kart for $2,000, and an old Toyota truck to transport it in. Nearly every Wednesday evening after school, Roberts would take his kart down to his local track and participate in informal races. Eventually, he developed his driving skills to the point where he could compete in professional kart races and eventually graduated to racing prototype cars and GT3 cars.
Motor racing is something any driver needs to practice at for years before becoming successful. However, it can be challenging for racers to train daily, since racetracks are often not in accessible locations and are rarely open every day. Additionally, race cars have a limited lifespan, and driving it too hard or too often will affect its overall performance. The more you drive a car, the more maintenance it needs to continue running. In contrast, boxing and MMA fighting only require the commitment to work out daily, and don’t tend to incur a host of additional costs. According to Roberts, he initially struggled to keep himself healthy and strong early in his life. He recounts how he was bullied when he was young, and this plus the tragedy of his younger brother passing away, gave Roberts the driving force he needed to work out and practice boxing daily.
Roberts believes that what makes him stand out from other racing drivers is that he is the only one among them who can drive and fight. He is considered a stand-out fighter due to his aggressive combat techniques that have helped him best all of his opponents thus far. Roberts attributes his current MMA success to his previous racing experience. When comparing the two sports, Roberts draws parallels between the fears of being severely injured or killed that both fighters and drivers must deal with. One advantage that he feels he has over other MMA fighters, however, is the numerous sponsorships he has received from his racing career; this extra source of income has helped him avoid making any risky and potentially career-damaging decisions as an MMA fighter. Roberts’s mental strength and physical fitness give him an upper hand over both his boxing and racing competitors.
Roberts has an excellent record when it comes to motor racing. Here are some of his career highlights:
- In 2016, he won the Radical Cup Championship
- In 2018, he became the Pirelli World Challenge GT3 champion driving for Audi
- In 2019, he became the 24-Hour Series GT3 champion driving for Porsche
Roberts is also a popular stunt driver, whose stunts can be found on the YouTube channel DRMBROTHERS. Roberts has maintained an excellent winning streak in both MMA and boxing, having won all four of his MMA fights and all 3 of his boxing matches.
