Friday night in Knoxville, TN Drew Fickett will face Jamie Varner in the main event of XFC 16 ‘High Stakes live on HDNet. The two men came up together in Arizona on smaller shows, before each went on to find success on a national level. Fickett went onto defeat Josh Koscheck, Josh Neer, and Kurt Pelligrino in the UFC, while Varner burned through the WEC claiming their lightweight title, which he would come to hold for two years after.
Though the two fighters were close at one time, Varner went off in a different direction than Fickett and now it’s time for the student (Varner) to answer to “The Master”.
“I just want to set things straight,” explains Fickett. “It just sucks. I mentored the kid and now I have to beat his ass. Hopefully I can, to teach him a lesson. The sport isn’t about being a fighter. It’s about being a good person too. In my mind Jamie has become “Hollywood” and selfish. He’s in love with being a fighter. I fight because I like the sport. I wish more people took it seriously instead of just wearing a Tapout shirt and want to ‘flaunt being a fighter.'”
“There is a lot of animosity on my part because I’ve mentored a lot of kids like Efrain Escudero and Dominick Cruz and they’ve gone on to do big things, but they’ve had moments of being starstuck. I came up the hard way. I made it into the UFC after 27 fights. I like the sport and I wish and hope that fighters would respect the fact that they are athletes and realize it’s not about being all glamorous. It’s about being an athlete and a good person. At the end of the day I have nothing but love for Jamie but I want to beat his ass as a spectacular Athlete not a ‘Fighter'”.
To show his disdain for the “Hollywood” lifestyle that Fickett thinks Varner has, Fickett recently made some videos on Youtube poking fun at “C-4” that he hoped would ruffle some feathers.
“I was having some fun with the Youtube videos,” said Fickett. “I see Jamie as being Hollywood and this and that. It pisses me off. Everything he’s about. And I wanted to have some fun and get in his head hopefully.”
Fickett insists he hasn’t been slacking off, as he hints at in his videos. Despite his naps and unhealthy diet he showed on Youtube, Fickett says he will be ready for the Main Event Friday night in Knoxville for XFC 16.
“I’m ready to rock,” exclaimed Fickett. “I’ve been disciplined and dieting for this fight. I’ve been doing things I’ve never done before. I’m really excited and I’m going to show the fans and Mr. Prisco that they are getting their money’s worth. I’m going to show the world that Drew Fickett is back. I appreciate the XFC giving me the opportunity and I can’t wait to get in the cage on HDnet Friday.”
In addition to Fickett vs. Varner, XFC 16 : High Stakes will also feature Josh Samman vs Mikey Gomez in the co-main event, female fighters Heather Jo Clark vs Marianna Kheyfets in the feature bout, and 7 other Pro MMA bouts. The show is sponsored by Sheets Energy Strips & Overthrow Gear and will air live on HDnet from the Knoxville Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, TN on February 10th, 2012. Tickets are on sale now through OfficialXFC.com. To learn more about the XFC, please visit www.officialxfc.com, “Like” them on Facebook, and “Follow” the promotion on Twitter (@officialxfc).
