Rory MacDonald plans to earn respect when he fights Mike Pyle on Saturday at UFC 133.
We're now just days away from my next fight at UFC 133 in Philly Saturday night and I'm raring to go. My opponent, Mike Pyle, is a veteran of the sport and, as he's said in previous interviews, will have the edge in experience over me on the night.
That's just fine, though. I can accept that. There is no way of catching up in the experience stakes and I'm not about to try.
I respect Pyle's skills, for sure, but I also know I'm going to dominate this fight the way I always do. I have trained even harder for this fight than any of my others, simply because I know Pyle is dangerous and I know he is a guy that catches people out if you dare overlook him.
That knowledge has kept me motivated and focused during training and, subsequently, I think I'll be better than ever this weekend.
Looking at my career as a whole, Pyle is probably the toughest guy I've faced outside of Carlos Condit, and I'm happy to be making the step up. There isn't much between Pyle and Nate Diaz, my last opponent, but I'd give Pyle the edge purely on strength.
Everybody has different strengths and weaknesses, though, and it's true what they say -- styles make fights. Nobody really knows how they will match up against someone until that Octagon door shuts and you start to go to work.
Pyle doesn't have the same "name" as Condit and Diaz, but that doesn't make him a bad fighter or any less dangerous. He hasn't had the same hype or opportunities that a lot of these other guys have had. Pyle has had to make his way in this sport the hard way, and I'm sure that's why he looks at me and just sees "some kid."
I have to go out there and earn my respect against this veteran, and that is exactly what I plan to do. By the time our fight is over, I've got no doubt Pyle will see me as a fighter and peer, rather than a kid that hasn't earned his way.
My plan is always to just go in there and do what I do. I don't like to worry too much about what my opponent has planned. You don't ever want to be worried or hesitant about what may come back the other way, or else you'll end up shutting down your own offence.
Nevertheless, you've got to be wary of every single area of somebody's game. Even if they aren't known for being particularly good in one area, I guarantee they at least know what they are doing there. You have to be careful and you can't overlook anything in mixed martial arts. You've got to have eyes in the back of your head at all times.
Pyle, of course, has many skills that we've been training for and I'm ready to show what I've got for him. We know he's a scrapper with good jiu-jitsu, but I believe I have more than enough skills to counter whatever he tries to do.
I feel like I'm a more technical and smarter fighter than he is, and I believe I can think my way through fights very well. I know I'll have to be at my best for as long as this fight lasts, but that is something I am very comfortable with.
I'm a natural. I know how to naturally fight. It comes easy to me, almost to the point where I don't even have to think about what I'm doing. I don't believe Mike Pyle can say the same thing. I think his jiu-jitsu is excellent, but I also feel he has had to force himself to learn various other things in order to survive.
Credit to him, he's learnt and survived, but he's not a natural like I am. I have grown up with this sport and, although I may lack experience, I have a head start on him.
I am going to overwhelm him and will prove to be too active and busy on Saturday night. Mike Pyle will feel every single one of those 35 years by the time I'm done with him...
Hit me up on Twitter @rory_macdonald.
Rory MacDonald takes on Mike Pyle at UFC 133 on Saturday, Aug. 6 in Philadelphia. He is blogging exclusively for sportsnet.ca on a weekly basis ahead of his fight.
UFC 133 will be shown live on pay-per-view at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET. Watch live preliminary fights on Sportsnet starting at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET.