UFC star Brad Pickett will bow out on top before he slips too far down the rankings… but will need to find another job
UFC star Brad Pickett is bowing out on top this weekend with the self-confessed “old b******” too proud to slip down the rankings.
The 38-year-old Londoner – and his trademark trilby – has been wowing MMA crowds since 2004, when the sport was barely more than a hobby in the UK.
UFC star Brad Pickett will bow out on a high after fighting Marlon Vera this weekendZuffa LLC
His action-packed style has lured in a whole new generation of fighters including Saturday night’s opponent Marlon Vera.
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The 24-year-old Ecuadorian revealed upon taking the fight that he watched One-Punch Pickett beat Demetrious Johnson in 2010 and was instantly hooked on the sport.
And Pickett admits, with an almost permanent smile, that Vera’s compliment is a timely reminder on why he is quitting the cage.
Brad Pickett takes his pet pooch onto the weighing scales with himGetty ImagesThe UFC star has been wowing crowds since 2004, when MMA was barely a sport in the UKBrad Pickett and his infamous trilby will be saying farewell to UFCGetty Images
He said: “I guess it shows that I am an old b******!
“I have been in MMA since 2004 and I have seen the sport change dramatically, the UFC too.
“Normally when you are a young athlete you are pushed toward football or rugby but now there is a legitimate path in the UFC to earn life-changing money.
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“Back then it wasn’t even a job.”
Pickett’s original trilby belonged to his granddad and he wore it to the ring for every fight until it was brutally mauled by a friend’s bulldog.
He’ll hang his current hat up at the O2 in front of a home crowd before setting up his own gym to guide the next generation of English grapplers.
Tottenham fan Brad Pickett jokes he is 'an old b******' nowGetty ImagesBrad Pickett will set up his own gym to guide the next generation of English grapplersGetty ImagesBrad Pickett was one of those who paved a path for the likes of Conor McGregor to star in UFCGetty Images
The bantamweight built a house out of his passion and helped pave the way for stars like Conor McGregor to star in the UFC.
He said: “I’m a proud person and retiring has not come easily.
“I have not been recovering as quickly as I used to and it is down to performances, I have not been setting the world alight.
Brad Pickett takes on Ecuadorian Marlon Vera on Saturday nightAlamyThe fight will be the last for proud Londoner Brad Pickett who fears he is losing his reputationGetty Images
“When I first started I wanted to see how far I could go, could I get to No1 and I came close and got to No5.
“Now I see myself going down the rankings instead of up and I am not here to make up the numbers.
“I love the job but I am a proud person and there are other things I can do to make money.
“I have carved a career out of this and earned money at the tail-end of my career but early on it was almost nothing.
Brad Pickett reveals he will need to find another job once he quits UFCGetty ImagesConor McGregor certainly will not struggle for cash once he ends his MMA careerGetty Images
“Every penny I earned I invested in making myself better.
“Even at UFC my basic salary wasn’t great but I was putting on great fights and getting good bonuses.
“I put the money aside, brought a house and set myself up.
“I am still going to have to work, I am not like some of the young athletes who are earning enough to retire early.
“You aren’t going to see Conor working in a Tesco when he’s done in the ring are you?”
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