UFC lightweight Vinc Pichel is hoping for an opportunity to avenge an early career loss, but says he doubts it will ever come to fruition.
Pichel (12-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) was eliminated by Al Iaquinta in the semi-finals of the 15th season of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2012 after their back-and-forth two-round battle at the TUF gym went all the way to the scorecards. Now, almost eight years later, Pichel wants another crack at Iaquinta, but admits he doesn’t think his opposite number would accept the fight.
“Al Iaquinta won’t fight me, and I don’t blame him honestly,” Pichel told MMA Junkie.
Pichel returned from a three-year-long layoff in 2017, and since then, has won three of his last four, and showed little sign of ring rust in the process. He most recently bounced Roosevelt Roberts from the ranks of the unbeaten with a unanimous decision victory at UFC on ESPN 3 in June 2019. But if you ask Pichel about ring rust, he says it’s more a negative state of mind than a lack of physical sharpness.
“Ring rust is a mental block we put on ourselves and stems from lack of self confidence to me,” he offered. “(It’s) Not something I’m familiar with when I’m fighting.”
He was then matched up with Alexander Yakovlev at UFC on ESPN+ 21, but was forced out due to a hip injury that has kept him out of action ever since. Pichel was subsequently replaced by Roberts, who ended up defeating Yakovlev, making it difficult for Pichel to watch on the sidelines.
“Yeah that was a tough pill to swallow for me, actually,” said Pichel. “Not only was that the first fight I’ve had to pull out of, but then my opponent faces someone who I just dominated and loses to him. That’s what really hurt.”
So, while the coronavirus outbreak has significantly altered most fighters’ schedules, Pichel is focused on recovery, and says he’s shooting for a summer return.
“I’m doing OK, actually,” Pichel said. “I am just now getting back into training from hip surgery in December, so I haven’t been slowed down just yet by it. There’s been no talks for now. I’ve just been focusing on my recovery so that’s all that’s in my mind right now, honestly. But if I were to say, I want to fight by summer.”
