Richie ‘Vas’ Vaculik might only stand at 168cm and weigh less than 60kg, but you’d be a fool to try him on.
The Sydney native and UFC flyweight will be locking horns with Irishman Neil Seery on November 8 at UFC Fight Night: Rockhold versus Bisping, at the Allphones Arena in his hometown.
“It’s fantastic just to be here in Sydney, my hometown,” he said when asked about fighting on home soil.
“As soon as I heard about the Sydney show I was just super excited, did everything I could to try to get on the card and now I am. It’s a few weeks away and the excitement is definitely building.”
The fight will mark Vaculik’s second turn in Australia under the UFC banner. His first bout (and UFC debut) came against Justin Scoggins in Brisbane last December, which he lost via TKO.
He rebounded from the loss by beating Roldan Sangcha-an in Auckland in June.
“[Sangcha-an] was coming over into the UFC unbeaten. He’s a pretty good striker and a good test. We put in place a good gameplan – we thought we’d mix it up both with striking and grappling.
“I almost finished him in the first round with a rear-naked choke but he made it to the bell and the fight went on to a decision which I won unanimously. It was a great feeling to get that win inside the Octagon.”
Prior to the Sangcha-an fight, Vaculik was in a precarious position with the company.
“To be honest, you put two losses together in the UFC and your head’s on the chopping block. I was very aware that first and foremost, I needed to get that win.”
Vaculik is now looking to the future, with his bout against Seery looming.
“I was really excited when I saw my opponent was Neil Seery. He’s an exciting fighter, he likes to come and get in your face and use his boxing. He brings a good pace so I’m looking forward to putting on a good show for the fans. I love to box and trade too so it just has all the ingredients to be an absolute firecracker of a fight.”
As far as his gameplan goes, Vaculik is happy to go with the flow.
“It’s mixed martial arts. If you’re one-dimensional, you’re a target for anyone. Opponents are evolving and they try to mix it up so this will be no different.
“Wherever the fight goes, I’m happy with any situation. I’m willing to lock horns, bite down on my mouthguard and trade. I’m willing to wrestle and engage the ground game as well.
“I believe my strength is my ability to mix it up. I guess I’m a jack of all trades, master of none.
“I don’t have a black belt in jiu-jitsu or come from a long striking background. I believe my real strength is keeping my opponent guessing. If I can convince him that I want to stand and bang, I’ll shoot in for a takedown. When he thinks I want to wrestle, I’ll stand and trade with him.”
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