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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Michael McDonald had a whirlwind 2013, getting his first shot at a UFC title at just 22-years-old against Renan Barao, bouncing back from that loss with a highly impressive win over Brad Pickett, finally falling short against Urijah Faber in December for a second chance in the title picture.
That run also ended with a hand injury which has him sidelined for the foreseeable future. Initially believed to be a broken right hand, McDonald's continued having issues after that diagnosis was ruled out, and doctors aren't yet entirely sure what the problem is. In an interview with FoxSports.com, McDonald described the problems he's been having, losing strength in the right hand, and just having general pain issues with it as well.
"There's a big bump on my hand, and when I start punching that's what starts hurting, is the bump on my hand," McDonald said. "It's what's causing me to lose strength. The doctor thinks it's tendon damage. I think I have another month of rest from fighting before I can go in and get an MRI."
McDonald's embracing the break from fighting he's gotten, though, feeling like he needed the break. He's not happy with the loss, obviously, but it's giving him some time away, and he thinks the loss to Faber also opened his eyes to how he should approach his fights.
"Of course it sucked to lose. I'm not saying it was nice to lose, but it is nice to have a little bit of a break," McDonald said. "I never like to lose. Not when it comes to building my career, but in building my life, it's nice to have a breath of fresh air and relax a little bit."
"I feel like it solidified in my mind after I fought Urijah that I am not supposed to fight with a game plan. Every single time I've done that, I've failed in some way. Urijah did great, but the problem wasn't him, it was me. Fights are never as you expect, so I believe that's the last time I will do that and customize myself. I'm just going to trust myself and the skills God's given me. That's how I've gotten success, and that's how I'm meant to do things."
McDonald wants to get back into the cage, but he says he'll wait until everything's figured out with his hand before even attempting to return.
"I just have to make sure my hand is at full strength before jumping in again," he said. "I love fighting, but I just have to make sure I'm healthy and can do it before breaking my body in the process."
Penick's Analysis: This is unfortunate news for McDonald, especially with no clear timetable for return and no real diagnosis of the problem. That's the most maddening thing for any type of ailment, to have no clear idea what is actually causing it, and with strength leaving his hand it's got to be throwing him off entirely. Hopefully after this extra month and an MRI, they can figure out what it is and get a more concrete idea of how long he'll be out.
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_20702.shtml
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