“All my fights were very close and I think if I did a little more, especially at the end of rounds, I could be at least 2-1,” he said, reflecting on his efforts and how things played out last year. “I fought experienced guys and they knew how to win fights and fought to not lose, where me, I always go in there fighting to win.
“I think the secret for me is to be myself. I’m not the most technical guy. I’m not the most well rounded guy, but I have something unteachable inside of me and that’s what I’ve based my game plan around: to close the distance, go into the chaos, and do my things. I’m tough, I hit hard, I know how to finish fights, so I just need to be myself, let everything loose, and have fun.
“I’m focused on this being a new beginning,” he added. “I’m reborn as the fighter I was before entering the UFC. Right now, I’m just focusing on looking forward and re-connecting with my inner beast.”
Part of what makes this an intriguing matchup is that Piechota enters Saturday’s contest in a similar position as Barriault.
After arriving in the UFC with an undefeated record, the Polish grappler picked up victories in each of his first two Octagon appearances, establishing himself as a new name to track in the middleweight ranks. But a step up in competition brought his first professional loss, and bouts against Rodolfo Vieira and Punahele Soriano last year each resulted in Piechota being finished.
“I think it’s going to be a very good matchup,” began Barriault. “I know that Oskar is a good jiu-jitsu guy, he can strike, and we’re in the same situation, so we have to go out there and not just win, but win impressively.
“I hope he will be ready for a good fight,” he added. “I hope he’s ready to engage and not run away from a fight.”
Over a 28-month span between May 2016 and September 2018, Barriault competed eight times and every time, the night ended with him standing in the center of the cage, his hand raised in victory.
It’s now been 19 months since the former TKO standout has experienced that feeling and he’s yearning to feel it again.
“I can’t wait to have this feeling back, especially for the first time in the UFC,” he said. “All the hard work I’ve done the last 10 years is on the line. I want to prove to myself, but also to the UFC why they signed me last year when I was a double-champ.
“Right now, I need to go out there and prove to myself and the company that I have what it takes to compete at this level and that I belong in this game.”