Rory MacDonald says the loss to Carlos Condit gave him a new perspective on fighting.
I'm not used to losing. I have just never been someone that suffers a lot of setback, whether we're talking fighting or any other physical activity. I am used to winning and am used to the feeling that comes with it.
The thing is, sometimes you need to experience a setback in order to truly value how great it feels to win. The loss to Carlos Condit in June 2010 was incredibly hard to deal with at the time, but it made me a stronger person and fighter.
It was a real-eye opener for me and was something that forced me to change certain things and strive to become a better version of myself.
I never regret any decision I make in life, and I certainly don't regret taking the Condit fight or performing the way I did. Yes, I made mistakes and threw it away at the end, but I like to think I have learnt from those mistakes and that I won't make them again. I'm dealing with the fight in a positive way.
My last fight with Nate Diaz actually helped me deal with the loss to Condit a little better, as it was a fight that saw me have to go the full three rounds at a fast pace. I refused to make the same mistakes against Diaz that I'd previously made against Condit, and you all saw what happened as a result. I won the fight pretty handily on the scorecards and was never once in trouble.
Aside from the defeat to Condit, my time in the UFC has gone exactly to plan. The UFC has given me the opportunity to showcase my skills and continue doing something that I was born to do. I can now afford my own house, my own car and am in a position where I can train every day. That's all you can ask for as a young fighter. The sport has given me an excellent lifestyle, and I couldn't be happier right now.
I still want my revenge against Carlos, though, because I truly believe I am a better fighter than him. I made a mistake in our fight and he capitalized. It happens to fighters on a weekly basis, and I wasn't the first or last to find myself in that position. Credit to Carlos, as he took the opportunity and won the fight. He has since gone from strength to strength and is now probably the hottest welterweight in the world. He has looked awesome lately and has been knocking guys out left, right and centre.
Carlos has strung together a brilliant win streak and will next be fighting BJ Penn in October. I'm really pleased that he has been given a big fight like that and, should he beat BJ, I've no doubt he will get the next shot at the UFC title against Canadian Georges St-Pierre. He deserves it.
Still, I believe I am one of the best fighters in the world, and I'll go about proving that in the next couple of years. Regardless of how Carlos does against BJ, I have him in my sights and I'm hoping for a shot against him very soon. I need that rematch and I want revenge. I don't know when it will happen, but that's the next big milestone for me in my career.
In order to get my revenge, I must first overcome the threat of Mike Pyle on August 6 at UFC 133. More than anybody else, Pyle knows what it feels like to rebound from a defeat and use it in a positive way. He has experienced many losses in his career, but is probably stronger now than he has ever been before. I know that this experience will make Pyle dangerous, and I'm certainly not overlooking him or taking victory for granted.
However, if he thinks that this fight becomes easy just because he has age and experience on his side, Pyle is badly mistaken. I am as experienced as any 21-year-old fighter in the UFC can be, and am more skilled than most fighters with twice the number of fights. If Pyle is expecting to face some wet-behind-the-ears kid on August 6, he needs to think again....
Hit me up on Twitter @rory_macdonald.
UFC 133 will be shown live on pay-per-view at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET. Watch the live preliminary fights on Sportsnet starting at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET.