A blazing flyweight battle was booked to blow the doors off at The O2 in Dublin, Ireland, today (Sat., July 19, 2014) on the main card of the UFC Fight Night 46: "McGregor vs. Brandao" event, as Brad Pickett looked to blossom in his new life at 125-pounds against former division title contender Ian McCall.
It might be time to halt all that talk of "One Punch" being a threat in his new weight class after this decision loss.
The first round was about speed and timing. McCall avoided most of Pickett's big punches while slipping in a few of his own. His speed and quickness relative to his opponent, sliding in and out of the pocket while landing shots, gave him an angle of attack he was exploiting.
Pickett struggled to find the distance and what's more, appeared as though he couldn't quite keep up.
In the second, McCall grappled, earning a takedown and passing to half guard. Pickett tied up a leg to avoid getting mounted and when he let it go it was to explode out to get back to his feet. He did just that. That's when McCall got back on his bicycle and stayed away from Pickett's power.
But old "One Punch" was getting closer and closer to landing one of the big bombs he was firing.
McCall continued circling away from it in the third. Finally, Pickett shot in on him and put him against the fence, where he dipped down and worked for a double. He actually got McCall down on a knee but nothing more.
When they reset, "Uncle Creepy" continued working his game. That is until he decided points were at a premium and scored another takedown. This time he was able to pass to mount, although he only held the position briefly.
Still, he was winning.
Pickett managed to get back to his feet in the final seconds but the horn sounded before he could offer any more offense.
Judges scores: 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28, all in favor of McCall.
For complete UFC Fight Night 46 results and blow-by-blow coverage of all the night's action click here.