CHARLOTTE – Vinc Pichel came into his fight with Joaquim Silva hoping to “knock his head off,” but by the third round he knew he was in a close fight in which he couldn’t afford to give an inch.

He also knew, thanks to some striking exchanges earlier in the fight, that he was dealing with a tough opponent who wouldn’t go away easily.

“I hit him with a couple right hands and a couple uppercuts where I saw his eyes cross, but he took it,” Pichel told MMAjunkie. “It’s a little discouraging when you hit someone and you see their eyes cross, and they just wake back up.”

Pichel (11-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) managed to edge out Silva (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in that competitive final round, and when he took to the microphone after his unanimous decision victory at UFC on FOX 27 he took aim at, of all people, fellow UFC lightweight Al Iaquinta.

It was a bit of a strange callout, in part because, as Pichel noted in his post-fight interview in the cage, Iaquinta already has an opponent lined up after agreeing to face Paul Felder at UFC 223 on April 7.

But as Pichel explained backstage, it’s a rematch he’s wanted ever since the two met in the semifinals of Season 15 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

“He beat me on ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’” Pichel said. “When I was on ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ I know everyone says this, but I felt like I should have won my season. When I fought Al I was injured. I was limping into the weigh-ins before I fought Al from my fight with Chris Saunders. So when I fought Al I was limited really bad. I couldn’t fight to my full potential.”

What bothered Pichel even more was his feeling that Iaquinta exploited that existing injury to advance to the finals. And even though it all happened nearly six years ago, Pichel stills wants a chance to even the score.

“Al knew I was injured, and he kind of took advantage of it,” Pichel said. “He was throwing a lot of leg kicks. You could tell if you watch his fights before, and then his fight with me, that he knew I was injured, and he took advantage of it. Not that I wouldn’t have either, if the situation was reversed, but it put a bad taste in my mouth, and I want revenge on that son of a bitch. I want to beat his ass, and I want to take his spot.”

Pichel is asking for the fight now in part because he knows his time in the sport may be limited. Lately he’s been splitting between work and training, while also trying to fit in classes as part of a recent decision to go back to school.

At his age, Pichel pointed out, it’s a lot to balance – but also a necessity for his future planning.

“I’m 35 years old, so I’m an old dog in a young man’s game,” Pichel said. “Not that I’m planning on quitting any time soon, but I’m letting my body decide how long I have left in this game. I started working and doing the (electrician) thing and going back to school to prepare for my future, to prepare for after fighting. Because fighting, it’s a hard, fast life. If you’re not a top dog making hundreds of thousands of dollars, you really won’t have (expletive) after you’re done, and that’s not the kind of life I want to live afterwards.”

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