Mark O. Madsen continues his winning streak at UFC 273, with an unanimous decision win that kicks off the pay per view main card.
Nothing came easy for Madsen over three rounds as Vinc Pichel gave him everything he could handle but wrestling and a grueling pace from the three-time Olympian was enough to help him secure the victory. Madsen moved up to 12-0 after his career, and the judges gave him 30-27, 30-27 .
“I’m not only here to fight, I’m here to win,” Madsen said afterwards. “I am fighting for my family, I’m fighting to achieve the American dream .”
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From the beginning of the fight Madsen had been targeting Pichel’s lead leg with several calf kicks. This resulted Pichel in some serious damage. While Pichel was countering with punches, he was still being wary of the potential takedowns coming from the Olympic silver medalist and that allowed Madsen a little more freedom with his offense.
Madsen kept mixing up his attacks, but Pichel was not slowing down. This allowed Pichel to continue peppering the feet and eventually go for his takedown. Pichel didn’t do any damage but it certainly boosted his confidence that he was able to put Madsen down even if it was only for a brief moment.
As the fighters went to their respective corners prior to the third round, Pichel was convinced that Madsen was fading and the Dane’s coaches warned him that the fight was too close for comfort. Madsen responded by placing Pichel on the ground and applying incredible pressure to him.
As time was running out, Pichel was just stuck underneath Madsen without much chance to escape and that was arguably the difference in the decision. Madsen was like a brick wall on top of Pichel for almost the entirety of the five-minute session to ensure he walked away with another win on his resume.
Now 4-0 In the UFC Madsen stated that he hopes to push for title contention in the next two-years. He’ll keep the march going after his performance at UFC 273.
