Brad Pickett praised his pupil Lone’er Kavanagh for his drive and skill set. Pickett noted that his work ethic has set him apart from other UFC flyweights. Kavanagh is aiming to continue his climb up the rankings and position himself well in the title picture.
Pickett has worked with Kavanagh for quite some time and has seen his progression firsthand. Kavanagh, 26, most recently earned an impressive unanimous decision win over former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno.
The Englishman is now scheduled to face former title challenger Brandon Royval at UFC 329 on Jul. 11. He is the No. 6 ranked UFC flyweight, so a decisive win over Royval could push him closer to the title.
Brad Pickett Reveals What Positive Character Traits Lone’er Kavanagh Possesses
Brad Pickett spoke on the positive character traits his pupil Lone’er Kavanagh possesses that will serve him well.
Not only is Kavanagh more marketable because of his ethnicity, but Pickett noted that he is truly dedicated to the sport.
“He has a good demographic in a way, because he’s half Chinese and half Irish. So, the Chinese market, where he’s fought over in Macau, is big for him there. The population of China is massive, right? So, you need to take two percent of that and you’re laughing,” Pickett exclusively told Heavy Sports via 247Bet. “If he gets the Irish fans behind him as well, that’d be massive.”
He continued:
“As character traits, he’s very hardworking and dedicated. I’ve been with this kid for probably close to 12 years, a long time,” he said. “I remember when I used to spar with him back in the day, when he was just a kid, and I remember thinking, ‘Oh man, this guy’s pretty good.’ He’s just fast, quick, very enthusiastic. So, for me, the sky’s the limit for him.”
Pickett Praises Kavanagh and UFC’s Flyweight Division
Pickett also shared his thoughts on the current state of the UFC’s flyweight division. He noted that the division has plenty of excitement surrounding it.
Pickett admitted that he was not excited when Demetrious Johnson was champion because he was too dominant.
“For me, [the flyweight division] wasn’t as exciting back when Demetrious Johnson was there because he literally cleaned it all out, so there wasn’t much of a challenge for him,” Pickett exclusively told Heavy Sports via 247Bet.
Now, Pickett believes there is a lot more parity. He praised the flyweight division as being a stacked division with several championship-level fighters including Kavanagh.
“It’s exciting for me. I’ve always been a big fan of the flyweight division in general. You may find out that I’ve always, even coming over from the WEC to the UFC, been a fan of the smaller weight classes,” he said. “I think there are a lot of good fighters in the flyweight division, and I don’t think the belt’s going to stay in one person’s hands for a long time.”
He added:
“Great people like Kyoji Horiguchi coming back to the flyweight division has been a great asset. Obviously Joshua Van, very, very exciting. Good hands. Lone’er, Pantoja, Brandon Royval…There are a lot of exciting fights to watch there.”
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