Although Piccininni came out of the fight without a scratch, he opted not to rush things. After a six-month break, Piccininni was back in the cage, not with a brand-new set of tools, but a hell of a lot sharper versions of the tools he already had in his belt.
“I just worked on everything,” Piccininni said. “Basically, I worked on my overall martial arts skill. My jiu jitsu, my striking, my grappling, my wrestling. I worked on becoming a better full MMA fighter.”
Even with a slight step-up in competition, Piccininni was too much for his next opponent. Poor Joe McCormick was an even quicker night for the 25-year-old.
“I knew I’d get him to bite on my fakes,” Piccininni said. “I knew to follow up with my right hand and finished with a takedown. Once I got him to the ground, I threw my legs in and got back control. I tried to get a rear naked choke but he fought that off so I did a little bit of peppering on his head and transitioned to full mount and locked up an arm triangle.”