Mike Pyle has fought all over the world, but even he admits tomorrow night at UFC 142, Rio de Janeiro could be unlike anything he's ever seen.
"We're fighting and we have to fight other countryman on their soil. That makes it fun. Get out there in some hostile territory," Pyle told ESPN1100/98.9 FM. "It's kind of different. You don't get booed and looked at in strange ways at home. It's cool. Makes me feel like a super villain."
Pyle won't be walking through the Rio crowd with complete unfamiliarity. He cornerd Forrest Griffin back at UFC 134 and saw how intense the Brazilians were that night.
"The energy was ... I just got chill bumps just now thinking about that night when we walked out, how intense the crowd was," Pyle said. "They were into it dude. I can't even put it into words. It was awesome."
Pyle, 36, has fought in Denmark, Russia and the U.K. This will be his first time in Brazil and he's facing Bahia, Brazil native Ricardo Funch. The American is coming off a quick loss against Rory MacDonald. He made sure to make some changes to get back on the right track.
Pyle added a new jiu-jitsu coach, Mitch Coats and Nate Pettit, who's serving as his main coach.
No comments:
Post a Comment