Exclusive | The Evolution of MMA: Brad Pickett on Coaching, Legacy, and the Future of the Sport

“One Punch” Brad Pickett is a veteran of the UFC and WEC who is not coaching the next generation of fighters at Great British Top Team. We sit down for an interview to discuss the WEC, Coaching, Nathanial Wood and much more. With a career marked by exciting performances and a keen understanding of the technical nuances required in the lighter weight classes, Pickett now focuses on nurturing the next generation of fighters. In this interview, he shares insights into his coaching philosophy.

Brad Pickett Interview

With all the stars now in MMA, the WEC was way ahead of its time. It’s all the 135-145 that’s the sport now.

Brad Pickett: When I was competing in the WEC, they had lightweight and below, whereas in the UFC, it was lightweight and above. I just remember everyone constantly raving about how good the WEC cards were – the fights were just so exciting to watch. That’s why Dana White wanted to bring those weight classes into the UFC. And since then, you’ve seen so many stars come from those divisions. Guys like Cowboy Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Ben Henderson, Aldo, Uriah Faber, Cub Swanson – so much talent.

I always say this because I’m a fan of the smaller guys. When you’re smaller, you have to rely on technique and speed. When you’re bigger, you don’t have to rely on those things as much. So yeah, at the lighter weights, you’ve got to be technically sharp, fast, and tough.

You guys were way ahead of your time. It’s insane to see how much talent you guys had – Ian McCall, Demetrious Johnson, yourself – and looking at Johnson a decade later, he’s still active. It must be weird looking at him knowing you beat him 15 years ago and he’s still fighting?

Brad Pickett: He was a lot younger than me at the time. I started the sport quite late – I was 26 when I started fighting. And when I fought him, I think I was around 31, early 30s. As much as, in my head, I wish I was still fighting, my body just wouldn’t let me, you know? But yeah, he was a lot younger than me back then. I’ve got pictures of me from back in the day before we fought, and yeah, he still looks crazy young now.

Nathaniel Wood has developed so quickly since going up in weight. He is so talented. Why did going up a weight class make such a difference for him?

Brad Pickett: For me, size isn’t everything. Size only matters to a certain extent. It matters if you’re a wrestler and you want to wrestle people – that’s when you need the size advantage. But if you’re more like Nathaniel – someone who’s quick, punches and kicks – then size doesn’t matter as much. You can be the smaller guy, but use your speed and footwork to your advantage. That’s why I feel size doesn’t matter as much for him.

Now, if he was more of a wrestler and wanted to take people down all the time, then you’d say he needs the size advantage because he’d need that physical strength. But speed kills. That’s why, in my opinion, he’s done so well moving up a weight class.

People try to match his work rate – he starts fast, and they try to keep up. But then they realise, ‘Oh, he’s not slowing down,’ and they get tired. And that’s when the fight starts going his way. He’s also a bit like me – always an exciting fighter. He’s always in good scraps!

How high do you think the ceiling is for Nathaniel Wood? I think he has a very winnable fight this weekend and will be fighting for a title within the next two years.

Brad Pickett: Exactly that, for me. I’d like him to be a bit more active this year than he was last year. Hopefully he comes out of this fight unscathed, no injuries, and then we can go again pretty quickly. I think this is a big fight for European MMA, two former Cage Warriors world champions, Morgan Charrière, a very tough opponent. But I do believe Nathaniel should win.

Obviously, he’s not taking him lightly whatsoever, but I feel like a good win, and a win in style, could maybe push him into the top 10 or at least a top 15 opponent next. And that’s where we keep going, you know?

Great Britain Top Team where you’re coaching just does everything different and you have so much talent. What are you doing as a coach to make all of these champions and what is your philosophy?

Brad Pickett: I’m building the team, and this is what a lot of people don’t realise. I understand the sport from top to bottom. Of course, if I’m having my first amateur fight, that’s the most important thing in my journey. If I’m making my Cage Warriors debut, that’s important in my journey. If I’m making my UFC debut, that’s important. I understand that everyone is at a different stage in their journey.

But you’ve got to start somewhere, right? So, I’m very aware of giving people the right amount of attention.
Like I explained earlier, MMA is a team sport – you need a solid team around you to get ready. You need people to help out, to be there. And that’s why I really focus on building a strong team. We need to push each other. You’re only as good as the training partners around you.

We do have some really good heavyweights and light heavyweights, but our core group is smaller guys. And I think that comes from me being a fighter, then retiring, and having my pool of fighters that I’d get ready with in Nathaniel and Ashleigh Grimshaw. Now, they’re where I was, and it continues in that cycle.

We also have an amazing facility – 11,000 square feet, with a cage, a ring, and everything you need. It’s clean, hygienic, very well run, and structured. That’s something a lot of gyms don’t have. Some people turn up to a gym, then go to another gym the next day. But in my gym, there’s structure – you know exactly what you’re doing and when you’re doing it.

I understood this early on that I had to move to America to get my training in because I didn’t have access to the right facilities here. But now, I’ve created a place like that in the UK, and we have very good fighters in my gym. You don’t need to travel to America anymore – though, of course, if you can, it’s always a good experience. That’s one thing about me as a coach – I’m not the type to hold onto my fighters and stop them from going elsewhere. No, go! Go to Thailand for a bit, train in Spain, train in France, train in different places. This is your home, but go and experience other things.

I’m not someone who feels the need to keep my fighters tied down – I don’t know everything, you know? So it’s good when they come back and say, ‘This is what I learned.’ Cool! Show me. This sport is constantly evolving, and you’d be stupid to shut yourself off from the outside world.

Back in the day, it was all about gi this gi that, but now you’ve got people pulling off crazy techniques – upside down banana splits, buggy chokes. I see these things and think, ‘What the hell are they doing?’ Then you’ve got even more wild techniques popping up, like the electric chair submission. New techniques are coming out every week, and if you don’t stay on top of it, you’ll fall behind pretty quickly.