James Vick planning to beat Evan Dunham ‘easily’ as he climbs lightweight rankings

It’s been a tough run inside the Octagon for James Vick. It’s not that he’s lost fights. He’s not only undefeated in all of his UFC fights, but nine MMA fights professionally. Vick’s problem is different: he just can’t stay healthy enough to do much more than spin his wheels. Since joining the UFC in 2013 off of The Ultimate Fighter: Live season, he’s fought a total of five times, the last of which came a week ago at UFC 197 in Las Vegas, Nev.

Vick looked a bit rusty at first, but ultimately earned a unanimous decision victory over Glaico Franca. It was Vick’s first fight of 2016, but as he told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s The MMA Hour, hardly his last. He’s already accepted a short-notice fight against Evan Dunham at UFC 199 on June 4. While Vick asked for a bout against TUF: Live cast mate Michael Chiesa, Vick isn’t at all unhappy with the next challenge in front of him.

“I knew that I wasn’t getting Chiesa, anyway, in the next fight because he just came off such a big win the no. 8-ranked guy. I just feel blessed that I got into the top 15. I win this fight and I’m taking his spot at number 14. Evan Dunham is a solid veteran he’s been around a long time. It’s going to be a good fight,” Vick said.

“I definitely think I’m going to win. I think I’m going to win easily. I’m moving up fifteen spots in the rankings. I’m not disappointed at all. I’m thrilled to death.”

Vick has his reasons to be confident. In addition to being undefeated in MMA, his wins at these first and middle chapters of his career have come against veterans and rising prospects: Ramsey Nijem, Nick Hein and the rapidly-improving Jake Matthews. That, Vick argued, is why he’s entirely confident Dunham won’t stand a chance.

“Obviously I’m going to try to finish him,” he noted. “I’m going to go for the finish, but if it doesn’t present itself, I think I’m going to win this thing handily via decision. I think that all I gotta do is basically the same thing I did my last fight and he’s not going to be able to take me down. He’s not going to be able to hold me down. My jiu-jitsu’s good enough where I’m not really worried about any of these guys taking me down and I can get up pretty much anytime I want. You saw my last fight. The guy took me down, but was holding me. I landed more strikes from the bottom than he did from the top. There’s no way this guy is going to outstrike me, so I see myself either winning an easy unanimous decision or catching him with something and getting the finish.”

For Vick, the deciding factor is that, finally, he’s healthy. It’s not that Vick has been scheduled and pulled out of contests. Instead, he’s just …

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