Back in October, established UFC welterweight contender Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone stepped into the cage with Darren Till, an up-and-coming fighter he knew very little about. After winning this fight via first-round knockout, Till immediately emerged as one of the welterweight division’s hottest contenders.
Had Cowboy not accepted this fight with Till, it’s likely that Till would still be out on the fringes of the welterweight top-15, rather than right in the middle of the top-10. James Vick, a lightweight who currently resides on the outside of the lightweight rankings, wishes there more fighters like Cowboy in his division so that he could be given a similar chance.
“Somebody gave [every top fighter] a chance, so [they] need to give somebody a chance,” Vick explained on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio. “You know, these guys need to give somebody a chance and it sucks because you don’t have all these people like Donald Cerrone fighting anybody, anywhere, anytime. He gave Darren Till opportunity and Darren Till was able to capitalize.”
“Kevin Lee and these guys ain’t like that,” Vick continued. “They aren’t taking fights anywhere, anytime, with anybody. They’re trying to hold out for more money, and that’s a cool business strategy, but at the end of the day, you gotta give people chances because you were given a chance.”
If Vick were given a chance by a top lightweight, he’s confident he could win – even if he was matched up with interim champion Tony Ferguson or undefeated contender Justin Gaethje.
“I know that I’m ready, my skillset is at an all time high. I’m the tallest guy in the division, I’m one of the most well-rounded guys in the whole UFC. Honest to God, with all my heart believe I could beat Tony Ferguson’s ass right now, no problem. I could whip Justin Gaethje’s ass right now if I fought these guys. They were given opportunities, and they made the best of them. You know, I’m not hating on these guys, there’s a big enough pie, I just want my fucking piece.”
Who do you want to see James Vick fight next?
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 14/11/2017.