No one in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship flourishes in relative anonymity
any better than
Vinc Pichel,
a well-rounded lightweight who carries a 7-2 record inside the
Octagon.
The 39-year-old Californian will test his mettle against unbeaten
former Olympic silver medalist
Mark O.
Madsen in a featured
UFC 273 attraction on Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial
Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Pichel, who has not tasted defeat
in nearly four years, enters the cage on the strength of a
three-fighting winning streak. He has secured eight of his 14 pro
victories by knockout or technical knockout, all eight of them
inside two rounds. Pichel last competed at UFC on ESPN 29, where he
laid claim to a three-round unanimous decision over
Austin
Hubbard on Aug. 21.
As Pichel makes final preparations for his battle with Madsen at
155 pounds, here are five things you might not know about him:
1. The late-bloomer description fits him.
Pichel was 26 years old when he made his professional mixed martial
arts debut with a first-round knockout of
Franky
Childs at a Hitman Fighting Productions event on Aug. 15, 2009.
More than half (nine) of his 16 career bouts have taken place since
he turned 30.
2. A reality check served as his springboard.
The Lancaster, California, native was a semifinalist on Season 15
of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series in 2012. Pichel was
eliminated from the competition in a unanimous decision defeat to
Al
Iaquinta.