Brad Pickett

Brad Pickett (born 24 September 1978) is an English former mixed martial artist. He is a former Cage Rage British Featherweight Champion. He competed as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship; Dana White stated that Pickett was one of his favourite fighters to watch.[2] He has also competed for World Extreme Cagefighting and BodogFIGHT, and at the Dynamite!! USA event.

Brad Pickett
Born (1978-09-24) 24 September 1978 (age 45)
London, England
Other namesOne Punch
NationalityEnglish
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight125 lb (57 kg; 8.9 st)
DivisionFlyweight (2014)
Bantamweight (2009–2013, 2015–2017)
Featherweight (2004–2009)
Lightweight
(145–155 Ib) (2007)
Reach68 in (173 cm)[1]
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofLondon, England
TeamAmerican Top Team
Years active2004–2017, 2018
Mixed martial arts record
Total39
Wins25
By knockout7
By submission10
By decision8
Losses14
By knockout3
By submission5
By decision6
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

Pickett's fight entrance typically involved entering to the song "Wallop" by Chas & Dave, wearing a string vest, cut-off jeans and his customary trilby hat.[3] He is a supporter of the London football club Tottenham Hotspur.[4] Pickett played football and boxed growing up, before becoming interested in MMA.[5]

Mixed martial arts career

Early in his career, Pickett fought mainly for the Cage Rage organisation; his first appearance was on 27 November 2004 with a win over Stuart Grant. He became the Cage Rage British Featherweight Champion on 10 September 2005 at Cage Rage 13 by defeating Ozzy Haluk via submission.On 22 August, at Ultimate Challenge MMA: Payback (held in The Troxy, London), Pickett won his seventh successive mixed martial arts bout, against David Lee. The win came due to a guillotine choke in the first round.

World Extreme Cagefighting

On 30 October 2009, the Zuffa-owned WEC announced they had signed Pickett to a multi-fight deal. Pickett, fighting at bantamweight, made his WEC debut against Kyle Dietz on 19 December 2009 at WEC 45.[6] He won the fight via submission in the second round, also winning Submission of the Night honours.[7]

Pickett next faced WEC newcomer Demetrious Johnson on 24 April 2010 at WEC 48.[8] In a competitive fight, both men exchanged takedowns and strikes throughout, though Pickett was more dominant on the ground, controlling the fight with well-timed takedowns and counter-strikes: Pickett won via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 29–28).

Pickett's next bout was against WEC veteran Scott Jorgensen.[9] Pickett had some success on his feet during the first two rounds, but was ultimately out-wrestled by the 3-time Pac-10 champion in the latter two rounds, losing to Jorgensen 30–27 on all the judges' scorecards.[10]

Pickett then faced Ivan Menjivar on 16 December 2010 at WEC 53.[11] Both fighters proved to be evenly matched; Pickett edged a unanimous decision 29–28.[12]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Bantamweight

In October 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.[13]

Pickett was expected to make his UFC debut against former WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres on 28 May 2011 at UFC 130.[14] However, Pickett was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Demetrious Johnson.[15]

Pickett faced Renan Barão on 5 November 2011 at UFC 138.[16] Pickett was submitted in the first round via rear-naked choke. The bout earned Fight of the Night honours.[17]

Pickett defeated Damacio Page by submission via rear-naked-choke in the second round of UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva.[18] on 14 April 2012. The bout was awarded Fight of the Night.

Pickett next fought Yves Jabouin on 29 September 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV 5.[19] He won the fight via first-round KO, earning Knockout of the Night honours in the process.[20]

Pickett was defeated by Eddie Wineland via split decision on 29 December 2012 at UFC 155.[21]

Pickett faced Mike Easton on 6 April 2013 at UFC on Fuel TV 9.[22] He won the back-and-forth fight via split decision. The win earned Pickett another Fight of the Night bonus.[23]

Pickett faced Michael McDonald on 17 August 2013, at UFC Fight Night 26.[24] Pickett lost the fight via submission (triangle choke) in the second round.[25] Despite the loss, Pickett was given a Fight of the Night bonus.[26]

Flyweight

In late 2013, it was announced that Pickett would drop down to the Flyweight division for his next fight. He was expected to make his Flyweight debut against Ian McCall at UFC Fight Night 37 on 8 March 2014.[27] However, on 13 February, it was announced that McCall had pulled out of the bout and was replaced by promotional newcomer Neil Seery.[28] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[29]

The rescheduled bout with McCall took place on 19 July 2014 at UFC Fight Night 46.[30] Pickett lost the fight via unanimous decision.[31]

Pickett faced Chico Camus on 22 November 2014 at UFC Fight Night 57.[32] He lost the back-and-forth fight via split decision.[33]

Return to Bantamweight

Pickett faced Thomas Almeida in a bantamweight bout on 11 July 2015 at UFC 189.[34] He lost his third consecutive fight via KO in the second round.[35]

Pickett was expected to face Henry Briones on 27 February 2016 at UFC Fight Night 84.[36] However, Briones pulled out of the bout on January 22 and was replaced by Francisco Rivera.[37] Pickett won the back-and-forth fight via split decision.[38] 19 of 24 media outlets scored the bout in favour of Rivera.[39]

The bout with Henry Briones was rescheduled and expected to take place on 3 September 2016 at UFC Fight Night 93. However, in early August, Briones was replaced Iuri Alcântara, for undisclosed reasons.[40] Subsequently, the pairing was rescheduled to take place a month later at UFC 204.[41] Pickett lost the fight via submission in the first round.[42]

Pickett faced Urijah Faber on 17 December 2016 at UFC on Fox 22.[43] He lost via unanimous decision.[44]

A rescheduled fight with Henry Briones was expected to take place on 18 March 2017. However, Briones pulled out a week before the event and was replaced by Marlon Vera. Due to the short notice and preparation for Vera, the bout was contested at a catch weight of 140 lbs.[45] Pickett lost the fight via TKO in the third round.[46] After the fight, Pickett confirmed his intention to retire from MMA competition.[47]

Return from retirement

After a self-imposed 17-month hiatus, Pickett signed a multi-fight deal with Absolute Championship Berkut and was expected to fight in ACB's first event in London, ACB 91 against Jesse Brock.[48][49] However, the event was cancelled and Pickett's status with the promotion moving forward is unknown.[50]

Bare knuckle fighting

Brad Pickett signed with BKB, a bare knuckle fighting organisation in Great Britain, and was scheduled to make his debut in the sport and organisation on March 30, 2019.[51] Pickett won his debut.[52]

Championships and awards

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
39 matches25 wins14 losses
By knockout73
By submission105
By decision86
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Loss25–14Marlon VeraTKO (head kick and punches)UFC Fight Night: Manuwa vs. Anderson18 March 201733:50London, EnglandCatchweight (140 lbs) bout.
Loss25–13Urijah FaberDecision (unanimous)UFC on Fox: VanZant vs. Waterson17 December 201635:00Sacramento, California, United States
Loss25–12Iuri AlcântaraSubmission (triangle choke)UFC 2048 October 201611:59Manchester, England
Win25–11Francisco RiveraDecision (split)UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Bisping27 February 201635:00London, England
Loss24–11Thomas AlmeidaKO (knee)UFC 18911 July 201520:29Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesReturn to Bantamweight.
Loss24–10Chico CamusDecision (split)UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson22 November 201435:00Austin, Texas, United States
Loss24–9Ian McCallDecision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Brandao19 July 201435:00Dublin, Ireland
Win24–8Neil SeeryDecision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa8 March 201435:00London, EnglandFlyweight debut.
Loss23–8Michael McDonaldSubmission (triangle choke)UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen17 August 201323:43Boston, Massachusetts, United StatesFight of the Night
Win23–7Mike EastonDecision (split)UFC on Fuel TV: Mousasi vs. Latifi6 April 201335:00Stockholm, SwedenFight of the Night.
Loss22–7Eddie WinelandDecision (split)UFC 15529 December 201235:00Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win22–6Yves JabouinKO (punch)UFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic29 September 201213:40Nottingham, EnglandKnockout of the Night.
Win21–6Damacio PageSubmission (rear-naked choke)UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva14 April 201224:05Stockholm, SwedenFight of the Night.
Loss20–6Renan BarãoSubmission (rear-naked choke)UFC 1385 November 201114:09Birmingham, EnglandFight of the Night.
Win20–5Ivan MenjivarDecision (unanimous)WEC 5316 December 201035:00Glendale, Arizona, United States
Loss19–5Scott JorgensenDecision (unanimous)WEC 5018 August 201035:00Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesFight of the Night.
Win19–4Demetrious JohnsonDecision (unanimous)WEC 4824 April 201035:00Sacramento, California, United States
Win18–4Kyle DietzSubmission (Peruvian necktie)WEC 4519 December 200924:36Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesBantamweight debut. Submission of the Night.
Win17–4David LeeSubmission (guillotine choke)UCMMA 6: Payback22 August 200912:26London, EnglandWon the Ultimate Challenge UK Featherweight Championship.
Win16–4Dino GambatesaSubmission (guillotine choke)UCMMA 3: Unstoppable28 March 200920:15London, England
Win15–4Antanas JazbutisTKO (punch to the body)Cage Rage 2820 September 20083N/ALondon, England
Win14–4Cristian BindaSubmission (guillotine choke)Cage Rage 2712 July 200822:52London, England
Win13–4Paul ReedDecision (majority)Cage Rage 2610 May 200835:00Birmingham, England
Win12–4Frederic FernandezSubmission (guillotine choke)FX3: Fight Night 715 March 20081N/AReading, England
Win11–4Vaughan LeeTKO (punches)Cage Rage Contenders 618 August 200733:20London, England
Loss10–4Hideo TokoroSubmission (armbar)Dynamite!! USA2 June 200712:41Los Angeles, California, United StatesLightweight bout.
Loss10–3Alex OwenDecision (majority)Cage Rage 2121 April 200735:00London, England
Win10–2Gilbert SimsTKO (punches)Bodog Fight: Costa Rica Combat16 February 200723:12San José, Costa Rica
Win9–2Phil RaeburnSubmission (armbar)HOP 7: Cage Fever26 November 200613:20Swansea, Wales
Win8–2Bret LeeSubmission (armbar)Intense Fighting: Caged11 November 200611:18Peterborough, England
Win7–2John TrentSubmission (armbar)Absolute Fighting Championships 1921 October 200613:58Boca Raton, Florida, United States
Loss6–2Robbie OlivierSubmission (rear-naked choke)Cage Rage 1830 September 200633:03London, EnglandLost the Cage Rage British Featherweight Championship.
Win6–1Hiroyuki AbeDecision (unanimous)Cage Rage 1622 April 200635:00London, England
Win5–1Robbie OlivierDecision (majority)Cage Rage 154 February 200635:00London, EnglandDefended the Cage Rage British Featherweight Championship.
Win4–1Ozzy HalukTKO (stomp)Cage Rage 1310 September 200524:25London, EnglandWon the Cage Rage British Featherweight Championship.
Win3–1Jordan MillerSubmission (armbar)Cage Rage 122 July 200522:32London, England
Win2–1Aaron BlackwellTKO (corner stoppage)Cage Rage 1130 April 200525:00London, England
Loss1–1Chris FreebornTKO (punches)Cage Rage 1026 February 200523:20London, England
Win1–0Stuart GrantTKO (punches)Cage Rage 927 November 200410:17London, England

Bare knuckle record

Professional record breakdown
1 match1 win0 losses
By knockout10
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Win1–0Mark HandleyTKO (punch)Bare Knuckle Boxing 1630 March 201910:20London, EnglandWon the Flyweight British Championship

See also

References