Pickett not excited by the UFC just yet
Brad, thanks for the time. I had a million and one cool opening questions lined up for you but I…
Brad, thanks for the time. I had a million and one cool opening questions lined up for you but I guess you know what I’m going to open with now. The merger’s the biggest news that the UFC has made in a very long time. What were your initial reactions?
I heard it from a friend of mine, a fighter called Michael Pastou. He told me that the UFC was merging with the WEC and, to be honest, I’ve learned to take things with a pinch of salt so I was a little reserved. Then I heard from another friend, who’s a bit more reliable, and he sent me a message with a link. I watched the Dana White interview and I was really pleased.
It’s going to mean better exposure for us lighter weight guys. I mean people who are into mma know about the WEC but a lot of the casual fans only know about the UFC. It’s clear Dana appreciates how hard we work and how exciting our fights are. We’re still the best fighters in the world at our weight classes, it’s just our time to show everyone.
From your point of view, how do you think this will affect you? Are you ready for a higher level of exposure?
I mean exposure doesn’t really worry me, I’ve fought big shows before and they only get me more motivated. When I fought on the K1 Dynamite show in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum there was 40,000 people there. I fight better in front of more people to be honest and I’ve fought on pay per view cards and in different WEC venues, it’s all an amazing experience. It might be odd, if I fought back in England, to hear the crowd more. It’ll also help out in terms of getting sponsorships for sure.
Have you got an opponent lined up for your next fight or are you still waiting to hear?
I’m still waiting at the moment. The last WEC show is in December and I’m pencilled in on that one. It’s good to be involved with it but I can’t get excited about the UFC because I’m not fighting there yet. I’m 2-1 in the WEC at the moment and if I drop this next fight I’ll be 2-2 and the UFC may not even look at offering me a deal. If I can go in 3-1, I’ll be in a much stronger position and that’s what I want to do.
I’ve been let down a lot in life and it’s taught me to take a lot of things with a pinch of salt. I’m not going to think about fighting for the UFC until I’m inside that cage with the logo behind me; until I walk out on that show, I’m not a UFC fighter.