McCall (pictured) will face Pickett in London. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
Ian McCall, one of the late Shane del Rosario's closest friends, said he will use the sad events with the heavyweight as encouragement for his next fight.
“Uncle Creepy”, as it is known, will face Brad pickett at UFC Fight Night London, on March 8, 2014, in a fight valid in the flyweight category. The fighter, who found Del Rosario unconscious after suffering a heart attack, admitted that he is still deeply saddened by his friend's death.
“I'm still kind of in shock. He's a guy I spent 15 years of my life with, and I lived with for the last year. He took me out of what was probably the worst situation I've ever been through, accepted that I live in his house and helped me raise my daughter”, he declared, in an interview with the MMA Hour program, on the North American website MMA Fighting.
“I was going through a divorce and was in a bad place. He simply told me he would let me live with him and help me raise my daughter London. That's how he was. He took care of all of us”, he acknowledged. “[His death] is a lot to take in, but instead of being depressed and grieving, I want to celebrate the person he was. I want to get my life back because that's what Shane would want me to do. He would want me to fight and use that as fuel to get me back to where I should be – beating [the flyweight champion] Demetrious Johnson”, concluded the fighter.
McCall is currently ranked third in the UFC flyweight rankings. Pickett, in turn, will make his debut at weight, as he previously competed in bantamweight, being sixth best on the organization's list.
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