British MMA luminary Brad Pickett said goodbye to his fighting days in front of a packed home crowd in London’s O2 Arena on Saturday night.
It was a spectacle befitting of a last hurrah: the hometown hero stepping foot inside the octagon for the very last time in the city where it all started. Almost poetic, in sorts. While the poignancy surrounding the contest contributed to an electric reception for the trilby-donning, fan favorite, someone forgot to hand Marlon Vera the script.
Pickett was en-route to the fairytale ending he desired with two rounds seemingly in the bag for the Englishman, but as often is the case in MMA, things have a funny way of turning upside down very quickly. Vera looked a different man in the third round, firing off on all pistons which eventually led a head kick which knocked out the hometown favorite in his last hurrah.
Pickett will now pursue the next chapter in his life, and took to twitter to thank fans for the journey up to now:
I left it all in the Octagon tonight ??
Thanks everyone for the support over the years it has been overwhelming ?❤
Onto the next chapter??
— Brad Pickett (@One_Punch) March 19, 2017
Check out the full backstage interview with Brad Pickett above.
