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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
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Matt Erickson and Ken Hathaway

Eryk Anders admits he overlooked Jamie Pickett, was thinking about bonus money

LAS VEGAS – Eryk Anders beat Jamie Pickett with a unanimous decision Saturday to close out the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 238 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Anders, who sent Pickett into retirement on his fifth straight loss.

Eryk Anders vs. Jamie Pickett

Result: Eryk Anders def. Jamie Pickett via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Updated records: Anders (16-8 MMA, 8-9 UFC), Pickett (13-11 MMA, 2-7 UFC)
Key stats: Anders outstruck Pickett 83-26 and had more than 10 minutes of control time from five takedowns.

Anders on the fight's key moment

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 02: (R-L) Eryk Anders punches Jamie Pickett in a middleweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 02, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

“I knew I won, but I feel like he’s the guy that I should have put away. That was a fight that I was looking to collect another $50 Gs off of, and maybe that’s part of the problem. I kind of slept on him a little bit and I’m over here thinking about what I’m going to with this extra $50 grand and waiting for that text (I got the bonus).”

Anders on his kids back at school

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 02: (L-R) Jamie Pickett kicks Eryk Anders in a middleweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 02, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

“I’ll enjoy this. I’ll get on the phone with them. I know they had a watch party. It’s important for me because I know my kids are going to go back to school on Monday and he’s going to brag about how his dad just beat somebody’s ass. It’s been the other way for them, you know? It’s like, ‘Hey dude, your dad got his ass beat on TV’ (when I’ve lost). But I’m excited because they can go back (to school with good news), and they’ll be excited for me. Those are the people that matter to me the most, so when they’re happy, I’m happy. Now that they can go to school, they just watch the fight with all their friends and stuff. That makes me feel good down inside.”

Anders on what he wants next

Eryk Anders

“I’d like to play one more time before the summer so I can enjoy the summer with the kids – go out and travel, do stuff with them. But I don’t know – we’ll see what happens when the phone rings. I don’t know what they want to do with me. I got a pretty dominant victory. I think one of those scorecards had me a 10-8 round. I’m ready. Let me get some time to heal and get back pretty again”

To hear more from Anders, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 238.

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