Experienced Mike Pyle Plans On Overwhelming Rory MacDonald at UFC 133

Mike Pyle at UFC 128

If someone were to say one thing about UFC 133 main card participant Mike Pyle, it would probably have something to do with being experienced. With close to 30 bouts on his record, it’s safe to say that Pyle has seen his share of styles when competing in the sport of mixed martial arts.

Saturday night in Philadelphia, Pyle will take on a young, hungry lion in Rory Macdonald, a fighter whom he is 13 years the elder.

But facing a young, up-and-coming fighter like MacDonald isn’t anything that Pyle worries about when thinking about his upcoming bout. Actually, the Xtreme Couture fighter welcomes the challenge of facing the young buck. Taking on the youth brings out the best in the veteran and gets him even more excited than anything else.

Pyle is ready to run with the lions.

“My goal is to be the best that I can and Rory is going to bring that out in me,” Pyle told MMAWeekly Radio. “It just makes me train harder and, yeah, I’m right in the mix right now with some of the best and Rory looked good (in) his last fight. Let’s do this.”

According to Pyle, experience is going to play a big role in his approach to fighting MacDonald on Saturday night. The Canadian fighter only has 11 fights on his professional record, while Pyle has nearly three times that. The mistakes a young fighter makes aren’t necessarily the same ones a veteran would make and Pyle is confident that will be the case at UFC 133.

Accurate movement, timing, and pace are all aspects that of a fight that Pyle is all too familiar with. They’re now part of his fighter DNA, if you will. The years of testing the likes of John Hathaway, Jake Shields, and others top-caliber opponents has taught him a lot.

“It plays a lot,” Pyle said about the role of experience. “I got a lot of experience. What to do at the right time is instilled in me through years and all the training. It’s second nature to me. Rory, he’s still learning, I’m still learning, but I’ve learned a lot in the years.

“You know, I’ve been doing this since ’97, brother. I (have) a lot of years on this kid. I (have) a lot of experience and I plan on bringing all of that and trying to overwhelm him with that in the fight.”

Being a competitor in the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization also gave Pyle an opportunity to think about things. Is this really the path he wants to take? Yes, it is. And if that’s the case, you have to go full-on with no holding back, not only in the Octagon, but outside of it, too.

Keeping the best components in his camp to push him towards being fully primed for fight night is key. For example, having Mike Dolce around to keep him on a strict diet plan is part of that preparation.

“The UFC is what made me really sit back and (think to) myself, ‘you know, is this something I want to do 100 percent?” Pyle recalled. “I’m going to have to put 100 percent in it with everything, (bring) on Mike Dolce, using sports therapists, using good strength and conditioning (coaches) and really (take) the steps that it takes to be a contender in the UFC. And I believe that I’ve taken the proper steps and it’s shown through in my last three fights and it’s going to show through even better in this fight.”

It’s clear that Pyle is highly motivated for his UFC 133. So intense is the Las Vegas-based fighter, one could say, between he and his younger opponent, that he’s the young lion looking for blood in the match-up.

Metaphorically speaking, Pyle is bursting his way through the doors to being an elite UFC fighter. The veteran promises his experience will overcome the day and momentum won’t be stalled en route to a win at UFC 133.

“I am making that push, you know. I’ve got more than one foot in the door right now,” he said. “I’ve already kicked through the deadbolt. I’m coming in, man. I’m coming in full-swing.

“The younger, inexperienced fighter is not going to be the one to beat me, guaranteed.”

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Erik Fontanez is a staff writer for MMAWeekly.com.
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