Vinc Pichel is healthy, and in great spirits heading into his co-main event tilt against Gregor Gillespie at UFC Utica this Friday. He just hopes “MMA’s not going to become illegal in New York again when I murder this guy!”
‘From Hell’ returns Friday, as Vinc Pichel will take on Gregor Gillespie in the co-main event of UFC Utica (UFC Fight Night 131). The bout sees the talented lightweight enter on a four fight win streak dating back to January 2014. While injury plagued the California native during that time, Pichel’s recent run seems promising. The Utica card will mark his third fight in twelve months, and could even see him break into the 155lb division’s rankings. Not that Pichel is at all worried about those.
We caught up with Vinc ahead of the bout, to talk about training, the rankings, and his upcoming bout with Gillespie. Not to mention the performance of a man he wants to face, Al Iaquinta, back at UFC 223.
“I’m not looking to wrestle him the whole time, I’m looking to knock his head off.”
“It’s a popularity contest for the most part, and it’s kind of stupid, so I don’t really pay attention,” he said of the UFC’s much beleaguered rankings system. When it’s suggested that a win over Gregor Gillespie might catapult him into the top fifteen, Pichel wasn’t entirely sold. “I mean maybe, but in all reality, if I beat him, he’s not even near being ranked either, so why would I be ranked after this?” he questioned. “That’s just the way I look at it.”
Rather than worrying about the rankings, ‘From Hell’ is worrying about what he can control. His own game, and his opponent’s wrestling. Though he’s more focused on the former.
“I’ve been working on it,” he said of the NCAA Division I wrestler’s grappling skills, “but I’ve been focused on my strengths and making the fight my fight instead of his fight. He’s obviously a good wrestler. I’m not looking to wrestle him the whole time, I’m looking to knock his head off. I’m more focusing on my strengths, but that’s not to say I’m not practicing my defense for his wrestling.”
Crucially, Pichel is feeling great heading into Friday night’s co-main event. That’s thanks in part to a new addition to his team, Dr. Manasseh at the Smart Spine Institute. Pichel isn’t the biggest fan of doctors. In fact, he’d later tell us that “to me, doctor’s are f***ing assholes,” adding that “they’re just out to get your money most of the time. I hate doctors, I don’t like seeing doctors. So in my eyes, I’m like ‘I’m not going to give money to this guy who doesn’t give a s***.'”
However, Manasseh, a sports medicine doctor, came highly recommended. And after just one session, Pichel was sold. “He’s been working on me, working on muscles, keeping my body from seizing up. Keeping me from feeling my age,” Pichel explained. “I actually feel really great. I’m able to explode now like I was in my early twenties. While I’m training, and even like today, Joe Schilling and Matt were like ‘f*** man, we can’t even tell you’re thirty-five bro, we have no clue you’re thirty-five’ because of the way I’m moving and my explosiveness.”
That’s a huge help on the mental side of the game. “I have a lot of confidence in my body and my abilities right now,” the lightweight told us. “I’m super healthy, not one injury right now, which is kind of ridiculous. Usually, I’m sort of banged up, like either my hands hurt, or my shins are sore. There’s always something that bothers us in fights.”
While being completely healthy is “kind of weird” to Vinc Pichel, he admits that overdoing things was part of the problem in the past. Or, as he put it, “being too stupid to know when to say no.” But now, he’s feeling great, and “taking care of myself better.” His conditioning “is stupidly good right now. So I’m ready for this fight. I know he’s going to come after me, and I’m looking to come after him. It’s going to be a good fight, I’m stoked for it.”
“I feel it’s bulls*** that it was a title fight, and Khabib’s the champion now. Because in my eyes, Tony Ferguson is still the champ.”
Gillespie will be the second undefeated fighter in a row that Pichel meets in the octagon (following Joaquim Silva). And while there’s “a little bit” of pride involved, Pichel sees himself as a pit bull with a job to do. “There’s a certain pride in knowing that I’m going to be the guy that shut those two down,” he admitted. “But after the 1st, Gregor Gillespie will be the fourth guy in my career that I’ve handed his first loss to. So it’s nothing that I haven’t done before, and it probably won’t be the last time either.”
If Pichel ever gets his way, mind you, it won’t be another up-and-comer he faces. Rather, someone more along the lines of Al Iaquinta, a fighter he has called out in the past. When asked for his appraisal of Ragin’ Al’s performance in the title fight at UFC 223, Pichel allowed that “Al did really good against Khabib. He didn’t even train for the guy, and he did very well. [Khabib] didn’t finish him, which, Khabib finishes most of his opponents. Either by submitting them, or by just smothering them, getting the TKO, getting referee stoppage. So I think Al did really good job, honestly, for not having trained for him at all and taking the fight on short notice.”
That said, Pichel added that “I feel it’s bulls*** that it was a title fight, and Khabib’s the champion now.” Why? Well, the undisputed title is very much in dispute. “Because in my eyes, Tony Ferguson is still the champ,” he said. “I mean, he won the interim belt. The fight between Khabib and Al, I don’t feel Khabib is truly the champion.”
Pichel knows, however, that ultimately, it’s a decision made elsewhere. “I let the politics do what the politics do. And I’m the fighter, so I do what I need to do.” Not that he’s shy to voice his opinion.
“McGregor won the belt, he’s the champ, but he’s been out how long?” Pichel added, noting the Irish fighter’s foray into boxing. Stripping him was justified, but then “Tony won the interim, so to me, in my eyes, Tony Ferguson is the champion right now.”
The other hot topic of the moment was the UFC’s new deal with ESPN, which is set to bring it $300 million a year. What percentage will go to the fighters, if any above and beyond what they’re making now, remains to be seen. When the dollar amount coming to the UFC as part of the ESPN deal was pointed out, Pichel was realistic. “It’s be nice to get paid more money, but I do pretty well honestly in fighting.”
“I’m looking to knock his head clean off, or I’m looking to choke his head clean off.”
“I’m not a greedy person,” he continued, “so I have no problem with working my way up and building myself. This will be the third fight on this contract. So after I get this big win, I’ll be able to negotiate with them and try to get myself a little more money, which would be cool.”
“I just love fighting, and I did it for free my whole life, until I started training in 2007,” he added. After which he still fought for free, or even paid money (in terms of expenses) in his first few bouts. “Money is something I think about afterwards. To me, it’s just doing what I want to do, and being happy with myself.”
Getting back to the Gilespie fight, Pichel wasn’t about to make a specific prediction, but said that “I’m looking to knock his head clean off, or I’m looking to choke his head clean off. Either way, I’m going for that finish, just like he is.”
“However he wants to lose is the way that I’m going to let him lose,” the fighter told us. “I’m just hoping MMA’s not going to become illegal in New York again when I murder this guy!” he finished with a laugh.
Watch Vinc Pichel take on Gregor Gillespie in the co-main event of UFC Utica, a.k.a. UFC Fight Night 131, this Friday, June 1. The event goes down at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, NY, airing live on Fox Sports 1.
