It’s been 10 years since Vinc Pichel lost to Al Iaquinta in the semi-final round of The Ultimate Fighter: Live. Pichel would love to get that fight back.
Pichel (14-2) returns to action this Saturday at UFC 273 against Olympian Mark O. Madsen. While his entire focus is upon the silver medalist and making a run at the lightweight title, there is a rematch in the back of his mind.
Pichel has been calling out Gregor Gillespie for a potential rematch, but has not got an answer.
“I don’t think Gregor is going to take that rematch with me. He knows better. After that fight, he literally told me he wasn’t planning on striking with me at all. He knew better, so I don’t think he’s gonna take that. But if he does, it’ll be a different story. I was unprepared for that fight,” Pichel told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview recently.
Another fight that Pichel would love to get back is recently retired Iaquinta. Pichel lost a unanimous decision to Iaquinta in 2012 in the semi-finals of the 15th season of The Ultimate Fighter.
Between the two fights, Pichel wants the Iaquinta fight.
“I’d rather fight Al. I’d rather fight Al just because he’s been dodging me for so long. He actually told me he’d rematch me, and then when it came down to it, he punked out, and he’s been punking out, so it is what it is. I want to fight Al, haha,” Pichel said.
The only problem is, Iaquinta is kind of retired. Maybe. After his last loss at UFC 269, he seemingly retired on his podcast; however, earlier this year, he told The MMA Hour that he wasn’t retired just yet, rather his career was up in the air.
With a win over Madsen at UFC 273, Pichel might be able to drag Iaquinta out of pseudo-retirement. Pichel questioned if Iaquinta will really come back or not, but if he does, he wants him.
Watch the rest of our interview with Vinc Pichel above. Pichel vs. Madsen kicks off the UFC 273 main card on PPV at 7 pm EST/10 pm PST.
