UFC bantamweight contender Brad "One Punch" Pickett (20-5-0) is eager to make his promotion debut after pulling out of his UFC 130 bout with Miguel Torres due to a herniated disk in his back. The swift-handed British talent has posted wins in ten of his previous eleven fights, losing only to wrestling powerhouse Scott Jorgensen along the way in what was to become a #1 contender bout at WEC 50.
Sitting down with Men's Fitness UK, Pickett spoke of the recent injury and the frustration he has had to overcome as a result:
"I’ve herniated a disc in my spine and it is getting better but not at the rate I would like it to. When I’m injured I want it to heal up quick and get back in the gym, but this one’s being really slow because there’s really annoying niggly hitches... I’m training but I’m doing different exercises: I’ve started doing karate, I’ve been swimming a lot. A bit of pad work is all the fighting-related training I have been able to do."
"I’m annoyed I got injured – well, I’m more than annoyed, I’m really gutted. I could have beaten him, because I knew that there were a lot of holes in Miguel’s style and I knew that I could exploit them with mine"
With Jorgensen's defeat at the hands of 145lbs champion Dominick Cruz, Urijah Faber's recent setback, and Demetrius Johnson being touted as the new number one contender in the Zuffa pecking order, Pickett believes he remains firmly in the mix at the very top of the division, particularly with recent wins against Ivan Menjivar and the aforementioned Johnson. When asked how a fight between the champ and him might go down, Pickett had only the following to say.
"I honestly believe that out of the top ten guys, I would have one of the better chances of beating him. He dances around a lot, he moves a lot, he’s hard to hit and he’s got brilliant conditioning so I don’t think anyone’s going to beat him by decision – to beat him you’re gonna need to knock him out. And I believe I have more power than most of the people in the top ten and I have great chokes and submissions, which gives me a good chance."
So when can we expect to see more of "One Punch"? If all goes well the London, England, native would like to appear in front of a hometown crowd for a welcomed change at UFC 136, which is tentatively scheduled for October 8, 2011.
"I would love is to fight in the UK. I haven’t fought in the UK for a long time – I’ve been in America since 2009 – so I believe I’ve got a lot more US fans than UK fans because a lot of people have just started getting into the sport and they’ve seen me fight in the WEC."
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