UFC 273 Fighter to Watch: Vinc Pichel

Veteran lightweight looks to keep rolling in clash with unbeaten Olympic silver medalist Mark O. Madsen

Name: Vinc Pichel
Nickname: From Hell
Record: 14-2 overall, 7-2 UFC
Division: Lightweight
Team: Factory X Muay Thai
Opponent: Mark O. Madsen (11-0 overall, 3-0 UFC)

Going 7-2 in the UFC lightweight division is tough to do and Pichel has done it without much fanfare whatsoever.

The TUF Live alum is one of those guys that hardcore fans recognize and appreciate, because despite starting later in life than many of his contemporaries, myriad injuries, and longer-than-normal absences because of said injuries, he’s still charging forward in the 155-pound ranks, entering Saturday’s contest with Madsen on a quality three-fight winning streak.

He’s one of those “ecosystem” types I talk about all the time — someone who is vital to the health and movement of things within a weight class, even if they live outside of the Top 15 — and yet still could be ascending. His last two wins are arguably the two best wins of his career and now that he’s working with Marc Montoya and the crew in Englewood, Colorado, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if we see the best version of Pichel to date this weekend when he steps in with Madsen.

Part of why I’m spotlighting Pichel here this week is because I’ve underestimated him throughout his career — he’s been one of those fighters that, until recently, I always sort of expected to top out somewhere south of this. That wasn’t some rash “this guy is crap” judgement either — he’s older, been plagued by injuries, and until his recent run of success, his best win came over either Anthony Njokuani, Damien Brown, or Joaquim Silva; good fighters, but no one that was making real waves in the division.

He felt like a guy to me that was destined to lose to the best competition he faced, like when he lost to Rustam Khabilov and Gregor Gillespie. He would be a perpetual tough out, make everyone he faces work for every inch they get, but hit his ceiling somewhere between the middle of the pack and the doorstep of the rankings.

But his effort against Jim Miller a couple summers back made me reconsider, and then his performance opposite Austin Hubbard a year later made me recognize I was wrong. See, I could pass off beating Miller as being the fresher, stronger fighter and generally a not great matchup stylistically for the veteran lightweight, but turning around the following summer and essentially doing the same to a younger, sharp talent like Hubbard made me realize that Pichel is more of the Drew Dober type than, well, an Austin Hubbard type.

And he might be better than Dober, which is saying something, because I think the world of Dober.

Which is why I’m so enthralled by this matchup.

Madsen’s story is equal parts great and heartbreaking and he’s working his way up the divisional ladder, which makes this the first matchup since Pichel faced Gillespie that he’s fighting someone with a little momentum and upside, giving it a little more juice than his last couple efforts. That’s not a knock on him or anything either — you can only face the guys that put in front of you, and building appreciable momentum is rough when you’re fighting the kind of staccato schedule Pichel has kept throughout his career.

But beating Madsen on Saturday would be one of those victories that resonates a little more because the Danish Olympian is undefeated and has a few more eyes on him than guys like Miller and Hubbard do at the moment. This is a big card that is going to garner at ton of attention this week, and while this fight will surely fall under the radar heading into and coming out of the weekend, it doesn’t mean that Pichel isn’t someone to keep tabs on heading into and coming out of this weekend.

Four straight wins at lightweight capped by taking someone’s “0” has to get you something of note, and with the way the division has been humming along so far this year, that could mean anything from a date with an established name, a pairing with a hyped emerging threat, or a short-notice opportunity one or two steps ahead of where he is right now, depending on health and how things shake out these next couple months.

A date with Dober after he ties the knot this summer could even work and would be all kinds of fun.

The obvious “up-and-coming” choice for this week would have been to pick Ian Garry, but (1) it’s too obvious, (2) I did that already, and (3) guys like Pichel actually need the shout out more.

We need to recognize and respect hustlers like the 39-year-old Pichel, the same way we need to appreciate the Jeremy Stephens’ of the world, because in the “if you’re not first, you’re last” world we live in, there is something noble and admirable about continually finishing in the Top 25 year after year after year after year…