Lightweight veteran Vinc Pichel promised to hand Roosevelt Roberts his first loss of his career at UFC on ESPN 3. On Saturday night, he delivered on that promise, earning a unanimous decision victory (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) at UFC Minneapolis.
Fighting for the first time in over a year, Pichel — who had suffered multiple injuries and setbacks — grinded out an impressive victory over the the undefeated prospect.
Pichel looked a bit rusty in the first round, even getting picked up and slammed to the canvas at one point. But once he found success with the leg kicks, he was like a completely different fighter for rounds two and three.
A solid second-round, which saw Pichel attack the legs of Roberts and score a takedown, helped set up an even more aggressive final round. At one point in the third, it looked like Pichel might even submit Roberts with a guillotine, but Roberts somehow managed to escape. The remainder of the fight consisted of Roberts simply attempting to fend off Pichel's aggressive attack.
It was Vinc Pichel's first win since January 2018 when he defeated Joaquim Silva. His last fight, in June 2018, ended in a submission loss to Gregor Gillespie.