Vinc Pichel is a week removed from his victory over Jim Miller at UFC 252. The unanimous decision he claimed over the lightweight legend is his biggest ‘W’ to date.
“Jim Miller was definitely the biggest name and probably the best win of my career,” Pichel told MMASucka. “I felt my performance, once the second round hit and once I got up from being on the bottom in the second round, I just kind of took over. He hit me a little bit at the end of the third, but I was super confident I won that fight.”
Pichel expected to have to weather a storm from Miller in the first round. The game plan was “be ready for him” in the first five minutes, especially due to Miller’s penchant of scoring quick submissions.
Miller took the first round, though in what turned out to be a grappling-heavy affair, Pichel got the better of his opponent in Rounds 2 and 3.
“I just attacked him in his own world, basically,” Pichel said. “Let him know that I’m dangerous on top of you, too, man. I’m hard to submit and take down. I know I’m super strong. I feel like he might have underestimated my grappling. A lot of people probably did because of that Gregor [Gillespie] fight.”
Two judges scored it 29-28 Pichel, with the third judge giving him a 10-8 Round 2. “From Hell” Pichel improved to 13-2 as a professional mixed martial artist and 6-2 in the UFC. He has wins over Roosevelt Roberts, Joaquim Silva and Damien Brown to name a few. The Miller win particularly adds to Pichel’s stock.
“It’s Jim Miller, man,” Pichel said. “He’s been in the sport for a while. He’s got the record for most UFC fights; more fights than [Donald] Cowboy Cerrone. Jim Miller is a Hall of Famer. So to fight him and get a win over him is pretty significant to me and my career.”
Miller broke his tie with Cerrone for most UFC fights when he stepped into the Octagon against Pichel, as he now has 36 under his belt.
Pichel doesn’t know who is next for him in the crowded lightweight division. He’d relish an opportunity against a top-15 opponent, however.
“[Sean] Shelby knows who I am. If he’ll give me an opportunity, I take opportunities.”
Pichel is now 37 years old, but he’s also injury-free for the first time in years. His body feels “so good,” and he doesn’t plan on calling it quits anytime soon.
“I feel like I got a second wind,” he said. “My body feels great. I’ve decided when I’m going to quit fighting is when my body tells me that it’s not up to fighting. I feel like every time I’ve been injured, people are asking me, ‘Oh, are you going to quit now? Are you going to quit now?’ Accidents happen, and unfortunately, sometimes, we injure ourselves trying to push our limits. Hopefully, I don’t get injured anymore. Until my body tells me it’s time to slow down, or until you come in the gym, see me train and can’t tell the difference between me and a 20-year-old, I ain’t gonna quit fighting.”
Featured Image credit:
Embed from Getty Images
