MONTREAL – When Mike Ricci steps into the cage at UFC 158 this weekend fans can expect to see a different fighter than the one that advanced to the finals on season 16 of The Ultimate Fighter.
According to Ricci, there is a “huge difference” between the 155-pound fighter who meets Colin Fletcher on Saturday and the 170-pound one who was controlled by Colton Smith for three rounds in his last bout.
“When I fought at 170 I had to rely completely on my technique to win fights,” Ricci told sportsnet.ca Thursday. “I couldn’t implement my physicality, I couldn’t implement my athletic ability because guys were just too big and I could get caught in some bad spots.
“Now that I’m at 155, now I can impose my will, my size, my strength as well as my technique. Now I’m not going in there looking to out-technique a guy, I can go in there and when I feel like turning it on and smashing him I can turn it on. If I want to go in there and double leg them and slam them I can feel comfortable doing that.”
Ricci, who turns 27 on Monday, hasn’t competed at lightweight since a decision win over Tony Hervey at Ringside MMA 13 last March.
Despite the fact he hasn’t had to cut weight in a while, Ricci said the drop back to lightweight has gone well.
“I had a lot of time beforehand. I knew what I was going to be doing so I was able to start my weight loss way earlier than my camp,” Ricci said. “Camp was eight weeks, but I started my diet 12 weeks out. It was a gradual loss, which was the best way to do it to not hinder your performance.
“At 170 when you don’t have to diet to make weight you find yourself slipping when you’re eating. At 155 I’ve been strict. My body fat has gone down and my performance has gone up.”
The Tristar product was born and raised in Montreal so there have been perks to the event being in his hometown.
“I’m doing my own thing at my place. I’m thankful that I’m here in Montreal; I don’t have to be in the hotel and stuff. I find it very draining,” Ricci explained.
Ricci has several teammates, including headliner Georges St-Pierre, also competing on the card, which has resulted in their regular gym being busier than usual.
“It’s pretty chaotic (at Tristar) the week leading up,” Ricci said. “I’m just focusing on my weight cut, obviously that’s my number one priority. It sucks to cut weight even if it’s five pounds or 20 pounds. I’m trying not to get caught up in too much of the chaos.
Fighting on a main card of a UFC event in Montreal is a dream come true for Ricci, who will surely get a warm reception from the hometown crowd, but he is not letting the situation overwhelm him.
“Just spending the months leading up to the fight so focused on the fight and now that it’s fight week it hasn’t really fazed me. I’ve just been so focused on this bout that’s all I really care about. I think when it’s over with then it’ll hit me how big it was, but as of right now this is no bigger than any three-round fight.”
Although this is a special moment in his MMA career, it could have been more special had his friend and training partner Rory MacDonald not been forced to withdraw from a scheduled bout with Carlos Condit due to a neck injury.
“It always sucks when I don’t have Rory training with me. He’s my best training partner,” Ricci said.
“I know he’s going to be super bummed out the night of the fight. I’m sure he’s going to be in the crowd being pissed, I’ve been there before where I’ve had to watch a fight that I was supposed to be in, but he’ll be back and when he comes back it won’t very long for him to get back to be back in the mix.”
In regards to the fight itself, Ricci said he likes the matchup. His opponent, Fletcher, also a TUF finalist — his was on TUF Smashes: UK vs. Australia — is a lanky lightweight and Ricci feels like he is well prepared for that type of body frame.
“This is the tallest lightweight I’ve fought but not the tallest fighter I’ve fought. I’m not really too worried about the height issue.”
Ricci and Fletcher kick off the pay-per-view card from the Bell Centre Saturday.
