MODESTO -- Professional mixed martial arts fighter Michael ?Mayday? McDonald hasn?t stepped into the octagon in nearly 10 months, not since dropping Miguel Torres in the first round at UFC 145 in Atlanta last April.
That changes Saturday when the Modesto native meets interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao at London?s Wembley Arena in the main event of a 12-bout card that will be broadcast on Fuel TV (available on DirecTV, Dish Network and AT&T U-verse) at noon.
Though McDonald (15-1) has been out of the Ultimate Fighting Championship spotlight for nearly a year, he remains one of the sport?s hottest, up-and-coming stars.
Zuffa LLC via Getty Images - LAS VEGAS - MAY 28: (R-L) Michael McDonald punches Chris Cariaso during their bantamweight fight at UFC 130 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 28, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Al Bello/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
That?s apparent by the buzz this fight has created and the manner in which McDonald ? barely out of his teens and fighting for a world title after just 16 pro fights and a lengthy layoff ? has utterly charmed the press since his arrival in England on Feb. 10.
The 2009 graduate of Davis High School is quick to smile and and share stories, talking freely to reporters about his fight strategy. Or lack thereof.
?I don?t know what I?m going to do. I have no strategy for any fight,? McDonald told Ben Blackmore of ESPN.co.uk after Wednesday?s pre-fight press conference. ?It?s almost scary ? and sometimes right before I?m about to walk out, I?m like, ?What I?m even going to do. I don?t even have a strategy.? ?
Blackmore later tweeted that McDonald ?? is arguably the most fascinating fighter I?ve ever spoken to in MMA. He sees MMA through a higher power!?
So taken with McDonald?s laid back, California cool, Blackmore decided to buck the odds and pick the 3-to-1 underdog.
?We?ve recorded a podcast where I?ve predicted Renan Barao is going to win the fight,? Blackmore told Gareth A. Davies of London?s Daily Telegraph on ESPN?s UFC podcast. ?Having spoken to Michael McDonald, I think I?m changing my opinion.?
Davies, who predicts a McDonald victory, called him ?intriguing and brilliant.? He was described in London?s Daily Mirror as the ?cerebral American.? The New York Post referred to him as ?athletic and explosive,? but ?also extremely cerebral.?
?He has no tactics whatsoever,? Blackmore said in the podcast. ?He just improvises, and he is something really, really special in the sport.?
Should McDonald prove Blackmore prescient, he would become the youngest champion ? 22 years, 32 days ? in the 20-year history of the UFC. To put that in perspective, Muhammad Ali (then Cassius Clay) was 22 years and 39 days old when he ascended to the world heavyweight boxing throne in February 1964.
But for now, McDonald is focused solely on Barao, not history.
Asked if he?d allowed himself to steal a glance at Barao?s belt ? on display at the center of the dais during Wednesday?s pre-fight press conference ? McDonald gave a startlingly honest reply.
?I don?t care it?s there,? said McDonald, who trains out of the Oakdale MMA club and is getting his first title shot. ?That?s not what it?s about for me. This is just like any other fight.?
Well, maybe not like ?any? other fight.
Barao is 29-1 (with one no contest) and hasn?t lost since his professional debut in 2005. He?s coming off an impressive win over Urijah Faber last July for the title at UFC 149 in Calgary. And, at 25, he?s already headlined a UFC card and has previously fought in England, which gives him experience in dealing with adjustments brought on by travel and time change.
Source: http://www.modbee.com/2013/02/15/2580321/modesto-mma-fighter-goes-for-world.html
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