From starring in the UFC, to dressing as Darth Vader for his stag do, Brad Pickett has had an eventual life. And now he’s guiding the next generation on Oktagon Challenge: England vs Ireland.
Throughout his time on the show, ‘One Punch’ has had the privilege of training Team England’s Hascen Neri Gelezi, who’s provided the laughs and engaged in an epic rivalry with Denis Frimpong.
Throughout the series, Ireland’s ‘Denis the Menace’ has irritated Team England to such an extent that he was even beginning to annoy Pickett by the end. And now, with the tension reaching boiling point, it appears Hascen and Denis are finally about to battle it out in the cage.
In an exclusive interview with Sporf, the legend said: “It’s very entertaining, and obviously it makes good TV. From the get-go, it was a fight that we wanted, but what Denis didn’t know was that Hascen had a broken nose going into the show. So, we were trying to give him as long as possible to recover.
“Regardless, it was great TV, and Hascen can give it back to Denis as well. But by the end, Denis was grating on me too. He’s called The Menace for a reason.”
However, as annoying as Hascen found Denis, through years of training together, Pickett knew how to keep him in line. However, it certainly wasn’t an easy task.
He laughed: “I’ve worked with Hascen for a long time. He trains at my gym. He’s always been an interesting guy. Some days, I hate him, and some days, I love him. And the switch between love and hate can take place in a short period of time. I could love him, then hate him, then love him again. It’s like a roller coaster. But the bottom line is that I love Hascen. He’s a very good guy. He’s good fun.”
Brad Pickett loves Star Wars
In what must’ve filled him with joy, Brad Pickett joined a Star Wars-obsessed side featuring George Staines, who picked up the victory in a tremendous contest on episode three.
The self-obsessed geek has won a place in Pickett’s heart.
The icon admitted: “George is cut from the same sort of cloth as me. I was a massive Star Wars fan as a kid. I played World of Warcraft for ten years, but I can fight.
“Some people need to have a chip on their shoulder and vengeance against the world to compete. Whereas others can just say, ‘We’re fighting’. I’m like that, and George is the same as me. He’s very competitive in what he does. He doesn’t need to trash-talk or be brash.”
And while Pickett has trained alongside some of the best in the world, during his stint on Oktagon Challenge, he had the opportunity to work with an actual Jedi, in the form of Akonne Wanliss, who’s joined Team England as the assistant coach.
Speaking on the popular character, Pickett asserted: “I think it was written in the stars. Everyone on my team was a Star Wars fan. It was quite funny. Akonne just gets it. In this day and age, you can’t just be a good fighter. You have to stand out.
“I used to wear my trilby hat and braces when I did my walkouts, and he has the Jedi image. Sometimes, you may not remember certain people. But you’ll remember him because he’s the Jedi guy. It makes him unique.”
And while Pickett has become a legendary fighter in his own right, he wouldn’t mind trading places with Darth Vader, even once dressing as him for his stag do.
He laughed: “Star Wars is the only film where the bad guys are so cool. Stormtroopers have the best outfits anyone could have. For my stag do, I dressed up as Darth Vader, and all my friends were Stormtroopers.
“It’s so weird that everyone would prefer to be Siths like Darth Vader because they’re so awesome. Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are good guys, and that’s great, but people prefer the bad guys.”
‘One Punch’ pulled the fighters’ pants down on Oktagon Challenge: England vs Ireland
With the rivalries brewing right from the start of the show, it didn’t take long for the Irish boys to drape an England flag over the toilet, with a sneaky package buried underneath.
However, the lads soon realised they might have bitten off more than they can chew, as Pickett threatened to hit back. But did he actually manage to carry out his revenge?
He smirked: “I think most of my stuff didn’t get caught on camera. I’m a bit spontaneous, whereas the Irish guys were a bit more clever in waiting for the camera crew to turn up. I didn’t live up to my full pranking potential. But I pantsed a lot of them, though.”
Featured Image Credit: Oktagon / Brad Pickett
