With Demetrious Johnson successfully defending his title at UFC 174 last month, many are wondering what’s next for the flyweight champion.
John Dodson seemed like the ideal candidate, however those plans changed when he underwent ACL surgery last week. The TUF 14 winner won’t be back until 2015. Other names like former Bellator champion Zach Makovsky or Brad Pickett often get brought up as potential opponents for the champion, but lost in the shuffle is Ian McCall.
Back-to-back unanimous decision losses to Johnson and Joseph Benavidez have made him an afterthought in the division, but the 30-year-old aims to refresh everyone’s memory and prove he’s still a contender as he battles Pickett Saturday night at UFC Fight Night in Dublin.
Last year was a forgettable one for the former No. 1-ranked 125-pounder and Tachi Palace Fights champion. After losing to Benavidez last February his personal life then took a turn for the worse. On Twitter, McCall alleged that his friend and current Bellator fighter Rob Emerson had sexual relations with his estranged wife. However, the most devastating news came when friend and UFC heavyweight Shane del Rosario died at the age of 30 in early December.
The news shook the MMA community, but hit much closer to home for McCall. Del Rosario was one of McCall’s best friends and trained with him at Team Oyama for years. Emerson blamed McCall indirectly for del Rosario’s death, which became a distraction for McCall.
On Saturday, the Costa Mesa, Calif., native will look to put all the drama behind him as he fights for the first time since a win over Iliarde Santos at UFC 163 last August of 2013.
Standing in his way is Pickett, who is competing for just the second time at 125 pounds. The Londoner is coming off a unanimous decision victory in March over late replacement Neil Serry at UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs Manuwa, where he dominated in the later rounds with his wrestling. Pickett’s original opponent for that event was McCall, who had to pull out due to injury.
Saturday’s matchup already has some bad blood, as Pickett accused McCall of faking the injury that caused him to withdraw from their previously-scheduled bout.
Pickett, a product of The American Top Team, aims for his first two-fight win streak since 2012 and hopes he can remain undefeated at flyweight. He already holds a victory over Johnson, beating him by unanimous decision at WEC 48 in 2010. It’s an easy sell for the UFC to give Pickett the next title shot should he emerge victorious. At age 35, Pickett’s window for a title shot is slowly closing, so he’ll need to take advantage of this opportunity Saturday at the O2 Arena.
McCall has wins over Darrell Montague, Dustin Ortiz and Jussier Formiga. Stealing Pickett’s thunder with a victory would likely strengthen his case for a trilogy fight with Johnson. In addition to fighting with a heavy heart, ultimately McCall is fighting for redemption as he looks to remind everyone that there is another top contender in the flyweight division.