As soon as Brad Pickett found himself on the back foot against Iuri Alcantara, he never looked likely to turn things around.
The British bantamweight lasted just two minutes before suffering a first-round submission at the hands of his Brazilian opponent.
And ‘One Punch’ – who won on his last outing against Francisco Rivera at UFC London in February – thinks the late start may have played a part in his defeat.
Pickett entered the Octagon at around 2am UK time, with the start pushed back later than London to accommodate American pay-per-view audience, and never really looked like getting the better of Alcantara.
The veteran, who now holds a 34-7 (1) career MMA record, connected with a flurry of punches before ultimately securing victory via submission.
Wow! That was the beginning of the end for Brad Pickett! Great performance by @IuriMarajo at #UFC204! https://t.co/7lj58IwYQK
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) October 9, 2016
“I think the late night maybe affected me a little bit,” said Pickett, who admitted to being “absolutely gutted” with the result.
“He started out how I expected him to. He was quite aggressive and he came forward.
“I need to watch the fight back. I knew he was going to be a fast starter, but I wanted to try and weather the storm but I wasn’t able to.”
Pickett has now lost four of his last five bouts, leaving him with a 5-7 record in the UFC.
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