Vinc Pichel hoping for “legend fights” after he finishes Ismael Bonfim at UFC Sao Paulo: “He will turn into a wrestler once I crack him”

Vinc Pichel is excited to finally return to the Octagon after a year-and-a-half away.

Pichel last fought back at UFC 273 in April of 2022 when he lost a decision to Mark O. Madsen. It was a disappointing loss, and Pichel was eager to make a quick turnaround following the result. Although he was booked to fight Jesse Ronson six months later, an injury forced him into hip surgery which put him on the sidelines.

Once recovered, Pichel was booked to face Benoit Saint-Denis this past July. However, a minor injury forced him to pull out of that fight too, which was very frustrating for the 40-year-old fighter.

“F**k man, I had to pull out of the fight with Jesse Ronson, I had to get hip surgery again on my left hip,” Pichel said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “I think I rushed it a little bit and had to pull out of the fight with Saint-Denis and end up hurting myself again. I’m one of those guys who’s too stupid to know when to quit. It wasn’t anything major when I had to pull out of the Saint-Denis fight. It was something that took me out of training for long enough that I wouldn’t be prepared enough to fight that guy.”

Once Vinc Pichel was ready to return, he was booked to fight Ismael Bonfim at UFC Sao Paulo on Saturday in Brazil. It’s an intriguing matchup as Pichel is going down to enemy territory to face Bonfim, but that is something he’s looking forward to.

“Sometimes you got to go to the Meadowlands to kill the King and take his shit. I’m not really too, if or against it. They offered me a fight, I liked the fight and I took it, I didn’t really care where or when. That’s not a big concern for me. A concern for me is the person in front of me, so I’m all for it,” Pichel said.

Entering the matchup, Vinc Pichel is a massive underdog which does surprise him. Pichel believes he has the style that can frustrate Ismael Bonfim at UFC Sao Paulo which will lead to a knockout win.

“I saw all three of his fights. Saint-Denis showed the gameplan of how you beat that guy. Get him pissed off and take it to him after that,” Pichel said. “That’s more my style, I’ve been a little slicker over the years. But, I’m still that brick wall people are going to be afraid to run into… I think it’s going to be a fun fight, I’m really looking forward to it. I feel like he will turn into a wrestler once I crack him a couple of times. I’m looking for the finish, the last one pissed me off that the judges stole it from me.”

If Pichel does KO Bonfim at UFC Sao Paulo, he hopes he can start fighting legends like Clay Guida.

“It gets me two paychecks possibly three. Bonfim isn’t a top contender, he’s just a tough up-and-comer. So as far as that, I’m just gaining money for beating him, not much status… I’d like to get some legend fights in, guys like Guida, Joe Lauzon, some vets,” Pichel said.