UFC
Mike Pyle not letting "kid" Rory MacDonald stand in his way, vows to "break him" at UFC 133
Jul 25, 2011 - 11:15:38 AM Mike Pyle not letting "kid" Rory MacDonald stand in his way, vows to "break him" at UFC 133

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC welterweight Mike Pyle is no stranger to being the "underdog" in a fight. A 12 year veteran of the sport, Pyle has competed against some of the top fighters in the world and has compiled a lot of successful performances in a near 30-fight career. However, he's lost some big fights to bigger names, and hasn't been seen as an elite fighter in the 170 lb. division by many.

That's why, when he was booked against Rory MacDonald for next month's UFC 133 event, he wasn't surprised that the 22-year-old has been deemed the favorite in their fight, even if he doesn't see things that way.

"I never view myself as an underdog going into any fight," Pyle wrote in a blog at ESPN.com. "Even if the odds have me as an underdog, I can't let that play on my mind. It means nothing. Being an underdog or favorite isn't going to make me fight any better or worse. You've got to forget all that and just focus on the task ahead. I know how good I am and how good my opponent is, and I can guarantee that I know more about this sport than the guys who determine underdogs and favorites.

"So, it comes as no surprise to learn that a lot of people are backing this kid Rory MacDonald to defeat me on Aug. 6 at UFC 133. I'm sorry, but I'm not letting a kid who still gets ID’d stand in my way of getting a welterweight title shot. A lot of these kids get a lot of hype built around them and they receive a lot of praise through potential rather than any real achievement."

Pyle needs only to point to his "upset" win over heavily hyped Brit John Hathaway last year at UFC 120 last October. With Hathaway coming off a win over Diego Sanchez and bringing a perfect 14-0 record into their fight, Pyle was seen as a stepping stone to the next level. That's not a label Pyle appreciates, and he dominated the young welterweight from the outset.

"People acted surprised by what happened, but let's look at the facts for a moment. As talented as he may have been, John had never beaten a welterweight in my league up to that point," Pyle wrote. "I was a better fighter than John at that stage and was also far more experienced and those experiences made me tough... I knew right off the bat that I had Hathaway's number, and nobody could tell me otherwise. I don't give a damn if he was favorite or the best thing since King Kong. I have eyes -- and I know mixed martial arts. I watched his videos, I studied his style, and I knew it would be a straightforward win for me. Nobody believed me at the time, but I knew I was right."

"The UFC like to build stars and they like to invest a lot of time and effort in these young kids coming through. It makes sense and I get it. What I don't understand, though, is why anybody would think the likes of Hathaway or MacDonald can use ME as a stepping stone to the next level. That will never happen in a million years. I am not the guy you want to face if you're carrying that kind of hype and expectancy with you."

Pyle proceeded to attack the fact that he's been fighting professionally since fighters like MacDonald and Hathaway were children. However, he says no matter the age, he simply feels he's the better fighter, and he aims to prove it on August 6 in Philadelphia.

"Regardless of age, I feel that I'm a much better fighter than MacDonald right now, and I'll prove that on the night," he said. "MacDonald will be in there with a bigger, stronger and more experienced fighter and he won't know what to do. I'm going to break him."

Link to Full ESPN.com Blog

Penick's Analysis: Pyle is supremely confident, and he's got the recent results to back that up. He is absolutely a huge test for MacDonald, but despite all of his contentions about the young fighter being the favorite, there's reason to believe MacDonald can be a guy to live up to the hype. He's had his falling short moment in the UFC, getting finished by Carlos Condit late into their fight at UFC 115, but he responded in a big way in an impressive performance against Nate Diaz. This fight is going to say a lot about where he's at as a 22-year-old in the UFC, and while he may fall short, and Pyle may prove yet again that he deserves to be seen as better than the young up and comers, this is a big opportunity for him to deliver a big performance.