Recently retired UFC Bantamweight Brad “One Punch” Pickett is set to hit the grappling stage this Saturday when he takes on another UFC veteran, Phil Harris, at Polaris 5.
Pickett was on The MMA Hour today to talk a bit about his retirement and his upcoming grappling match.
When asked about training in the gi, One Punch opined that “training with clothes on” doesn’t reward athleticism as much as training no-gi.
So for me, grappling with clothes on is a lot harder for me. I don’t use the grip power…for me, it’s a very slow style of grappling. And I think, you know, athleticism isn’t always as rewarded as much in gi grappling where someone’s a bit athletic just bursts out, things like that, you know, so, I’m not really technically on the level of competing in gi. No way!
He may not be the best gi grappler, but Pickett has shown he can grapple. Ten of his 27 MMA victories have come by way of submission.
His opponent, however, has also shown that he has quite a bit of skill when it comes to choking people out or making them tap. More than half of Phil Harris’ 22 wins have come by way of submisson (13).
It appears Pickett will definitely have his work cut out for him then when he hits the Polaris stage.
Fight fans can watch Polaris 5 this Saturday, August 19. Folks who can’t make it to the live event can watch all of the action via UFC Fight Pass. Polaris 5 will be headlined by a rematch between bitter rivals Garry Tonon and Dillon Danis. Fellow UFC alumnus Jake Shields will also be on the card. He’ll be taking on Dan Strauss.
Until then, check Brad “One Punch” Pickett’s interview with Ariel Helwani below:
