Fighters Only

Issue 046

February 2008

Cockney brawler, Brad ‘One Punch’ Pickett is widely recognised as, pound-for-pound, one of the hardest hitting fighters on the UK scene.

Where are you at the moment?

I’m in Ikea right next to our gym, eating some lunch - meatballs and pasta (laughs)

What happened in your first MMA fight?

I fought a bloke called Lee Curtis on one of Grant Waterman’s shows in August 2004. He was a lot bigger than me, not muscular-wise, he was a bit tubbier. I weighed 64 kilos, he weighed 74. Basically, he saw the size of me and thought, ‘Oh, he’s a little rat or something. I’m going to beat him up.’ Little did he know that I could punch and I ended up breaking his nose. A lot of blood came out everywhere and the ref’ stopped it, I think it was over in about a minute.

What’s the toughest fight you’ve ever been in?

I always have tough fights to be fair, probably, JR Simms, the guy I fought in Bodog. He was a massive lump, probably the biggest looking 145 pounder I’ve ever fought in my life; he looked massive. He dropped me a couple of times in the fight and I just ended up coming back; I think he wore himself out trying to kill me, then I got on top and ground-and-pounded him from the crucifix position and got a ref’ stoppage in the second round. It was on a Costa Rica beach, so it was really hot as well, so it was also quite hard because of the conditions.

How did your last fight go?

My last fight was Antanas Jazbutis [at Cage Rage 28]. It was probably one of my easier fights in a way; he tried to stand up with me, so for starters his game plan was the wrong one. I just out-boxed him and finished him in the third round with a bodyshot. He was a highly skilled opponent and he was tough, but I think the hardest fights are the ones where you can’t control the pace of the fight, that’s when it’s tough.

Are you a big fan of throwing bodyshots?

I always go for bodyshots, I find it wears down your opponent really well. Man, if you’ve ever been hit in the liver, it’s one of the worst experiences you could ever have.

What’s the hardest shot you’ve ever landed?

I remember one punch I landed on a guy and I thought I’d killed him. It was years ago in a boxing match, I clipped him with a left hook, stunned him and I just threw a right hand as hard as I could. You know when people are completely out, they don’t go forward or back, they just drop down on the spot; that’s what happened. I remember looking down on him and seeing his eyes roll to the back of his head. After the fight, they put him in a neckbrace and he was laying there for about 10 minutes. I think that was the best punch I think I’ve ever hit anyone with, I thought, ‘Oh my God, I think I’ve just killed him.’