British heavyweight Mick Parkin, who returns to action at UFC Vegas 82 on Saturday, can finally call himself a UFC fighter. An undefeated one, in fact, after winning his promotional debut against Jamal Pogues.
Parkin (7-0) returns to the octagon against Caio Machado, still glowing from his win in London this past July.
“Amazing. Amazing to finally fight in the UFC, on like the best show in the world,” Parkin told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview. “And then to be in London, the warm crowd for the first one, was a fairy tale really.”
Parkin’s debut at the o2 Arena in London marked the first time he’d gone the distance in a fight. And while Parkin would gladly take a first-round finish each and every time out, “I was actually quite happy to go three rounds,” said Parkin.
“I felt actually pretty fit as well, I felt like I could have done some more,” he continued. “Maybe could have pushed a little bit more in the second round, is the only thing. After the fight, I thought I could have probably done a little more in that second round particularly. But I’m happy to do three rounds, I felt really fit, I know I can do three rounds if need be now.”
In Machado, a fellow graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series who is making his debut in the bout, Mick Parkin sees a dangerous fighter. One who slings heavy leather.
“He’s definitely a good match-up for me. He’s wild, he’s definitely there to be hit as well.” Parkin sees a lot of big overhands coming from Machado. And knows he’s extremely dangerous. “I’ll definitely have to be switched on for the full 15 minutes if it goes that far.”
Watch our full interview with UFC Vegas 82 heavyweight Mick Parkin above.
