Brad Pickett still aiming for competitive return despite ACB 91 cancellation

Brad Pickett intends to honor the commitment he made to ACB despite the promotion cancelling the London event in which he was scheduled to make his return.

MMA Fighting broke the news that Pickett was scheduled to return to action at The Copper Box Arena against Jesse Brock on Aug. 11. However, ACB has since announced that the event has been cancelled due to “technical problems” in a post the promotion published on Instagram on Monday. The promotion has confirmed the event’s cancellation to MMA Fighting.

The post also states that ACB would look to reschedule the bouts that have been announced for the London date for other events.

Despite the middleweight title fight that was booked to headline the event between Albert Duraev and Piotr Strus, UFC veteran Pickett’s return in front of his hometown crowd was considered the main source of fan interest ahead of the London date.

In a comment released to MMA Fighting in reaction to ACB 91’s cancellation, Pickett insisted that he still poised for a competitive return with the Russian promotion.

“Coming out of retirement was a big decision for me to make,” said Pickett.

“I signed a multi-fight deal with ACB. Obviously, I’m still gutted that I won’t get an opportunity to return in front of my hometown fans. That being said, I still plan to make my return on a different ACB show, in a different location.”

MMA Fighting has reached out to ACB for further comment and information on the situation.