UFC Fight Night 26's Michael McDonald: Pickett made me question my KO power

BOSTON – There were times while Michael McDonald was punching the living bejesus out of Brad Pickett that he wondered if his knockout power had mysteriously disappeared.

A bantamweight who had posted nine knockouts in 15 career wins found himself battering the Brit with everything short of a cricket bat, but Pickett kept pushing forward during Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 26 bout at Boston’s TD Garden.

In their FOX Sports 1-televised bout – one that saw a remarkable amount of violence – McDonald (16-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) ultimately stopped Pickett (23-8 MMA, 3-3 UFC) with a second-round triangle choke (watch the Michael McDonald vs. Brad Pickett video highlights). It netted him a $50,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus and a $50,000 “Submission of the Night” award, but McDonald was still a bit perplexed by Pickett’s ability to fight through a truly staggering first-round onslaught of punches.

“I was really confused whether he had the toughest chin I had ever touched or whether I lost all my knockout power between camps,” McDonald said after the fight. “More than anything, it was just realizing, ‘I don’t think I can put this guy away like I normally do. I touched him so many times. He’s fallen like three times, and he keeps getting back up. I’m going to take the pace and power down a tiny bit and keep landing shots, keep touching him.’

“It’s kind of draining when you hit someone like that and you get that huge rush of adrenaline three or four times in a fight.”

The bout was McDonald’s first since a submission loss to interim champ Renan Barao in August. While champ Dominick Cruz continues his recovery, Eddie Wineland is next up for Barao. Additionally, with a win of his own on Saturday, Urijah Faber is right back in the thick of the title picture, and the likes of Scott Jorgensen, Raphael Assuncao and T.J. Dillashaw aren’t too far behind.

That could mean McDonald needs a least a few more wins before he gets another shot. But for the fighter, who’s ranked No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA bantamweight rankings, time is on his side. While he’s racked up 18 professional fights, he’s just 22 years old and still learning to make the most of his time between fights.

For example, after each bout, he makes a list of things he needs to work on. They’ve included everything from head movement and his diet to his overall philosophy on combat sports. It’s all led him to a good place in recent years.

“I just feel a lot happier, not just in my body, but I feel a lot happy here (my heart) and here (my mind),” he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

And as far as the title goes? He knows fans would like to see him next fight Faber, a former WEC champ who said he’s been following McDonald’s fighting career since the youngster was a 16-year-old on the California circuit.

But as he did with Pickett, McDonald said he doesn’t mind fighting a friend, including one like Faber. But while it may propel him to a quick shot at the belt, McDonald said it’s not his primary concern.

“Honestly I think that (title shot) will come in time,” he said. “I’m 22 years old. It’s not a matter, to me, of if I will; it’s just a matter of when, and I don’t care when. I’m going to pay for my life with this job. I’m going to pay for my house, my kids’ college fund, and I’m going to help some people in the process.

“Yeah, I think the title will happen in time, but that’s not my focus. I’m just focusing on becoming a better fighter every time.”

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 26, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.