It wasn’t UFC lightweight Vinc Pichel’s idea to spend half of 2017 on the bench.

So eager was he to step back in the octagon that he almost stepped up to welterweight to get busy. He’d spent three years away from the cage dealing with injuries and personal issues. He didn’t want to waste any more time.

“I was trying to fight a couple of weeks after my last one,” Pichel (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), who on Saturday faces Joaquim Silva(10-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at UFC on FOX 27, told MMAjunkie Radio. “I wanted to fight in July, August and December. I was trying to get fights wherever, whenever I could.”

When Silva finally came across his desk, Pichel was, nicely put, a little disappointed. With three wins, he thought he might get more of a name. But as he’s found out, it’s tough to get a marquee name to sign on the dotted line.

“I really, really want to fight Al Iaquinta, but he’s been dodging me for quite some time,” said Pichel, who meets Silva on the FS1-televised prelims of Saturday’s fight card at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. “I don’t think he wants that fight. I want revenge on him for beating me on ‘The Ultimate Fighter 15.'”

There’s only so long Pichel can wait, so he’s fighting Silva with the intention of making a statement. He’s trying to find that moment of critical mass where the fans and UFC brass get behind his career. Then, he can fight the bigger names.

Until then, he’s just trying to stay afloat.

“I would love to fight Eddie Alvarez and Justin Gaethje,” Pichel said. “Any of those guys. I want to fight someone who would make me a little worried about fighting them. Otherwise, it’s not fun to me.

“I don’t want to downplay Silva, but … I’m not really interesting in fighting guys like him. I want to fight guys who are going to worry me and most likely lose that fight, so I can prove to myself that I can win.”

For more on UFC on FOX 27, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.