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In A Sport Michael Pixley Believes To Be Built On A Foundation Of Competitors Taking Easy Matchups, He Vows To Take On Anybody, Anytime Ahead Of The Fight Pass Invitational 8.
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Michael Pixley Isn’t Ducking Anybody

In A Sport Michael Pixley Believes To Be Built On A Foundation Of Competitors Taking Easy Matchups, He Vows To Take On Anybody, Anytime Ahead Of The Fight Pass Invitational 8.
By Walker Van Wey • Oct. 10, 2024

Call it Midwestern grit, call it wrestler’s grind, Michael Pixley isn’t backing down from any challengers.

 

After making the splash that Pixley made at ADCC, submitting Nicholas Meregali, the ball was in his court to call his next shot. Eyes were going to be on his next match, regardless of the level of opponent he matched up with, so what’d he do? He landed the biggest active name in grappling.

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“This is the match people want,” Pixley explained. “This is the match the whole world’s been looking for and we’re going to make it happen. Nicky Rod’s a great dude, he’s super cool. We’ve talked a few times and all respect to him, but I’m excited.”

Pixley didn’t level up in competition blindly. The lifelong competitor knew full well he could take his career in whichever direction he wanted but wasn’t interested in taking the same route as many other grapplers: boring matches, weak opponents, easy paychecks.

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“You can’t progress being scared of competition,” Pixley said. “I was always taught to never run from competition but run to great competition. If you want to be the best, you need to beat the best.”

While it is nice to pad your ego, Pixley is just as fast to compliment FPI 8 opponent Nicky Rodriguez for taking the matchup as he is himself.

“Me and Nicky Rod aren’t ducking any smoke,” Pixley said. “I think a lot of grapplers are trying to protect their rankings, protect their egos and that’s not going to get you very far in life.”

Not only does Pixley find this match to be the most exciting for his career and his style, but he also likes the matchup for the fans. Since transitioning from folkstyle wrestling to submission grappling, exciting opponents have been hard to come by, leaving Pixley feeling blessed to share the mat with somebody with a similar motor.

At the end of the day, Pixley is a career grappler, but the aching joints and trips to the gym would be nothing without the fans’ approval and opponents like Nicky Rod to get his adrenaline going. He confidently guarantees the FPI 8 main event will benefit competitors and fans alike.

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