WWE SmackDown! Results (10/30/09) Escobar with an Irish whip but he misses a splash into the corner and Hardy with a bulldog. Hardy goes up for a moonsault but Escobar stops him...
Strikeforce, WEC, Affliction and Sengoku veteran Mike Pyle (17-5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has been tapped as a "standby" fighter for Saturday night's "UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida."
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) learned from sources close to the event that Pyle has signed a contract with the organization and has been told to be ready to step into Saturday's event.
Additional sources have indicated the UFC may be using "Quicksand" as an insurance policy for Brazilian resident Chris Wilson (14-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in his bout with Brock Larson (25-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC).
An Xtreme Couture-trained fighter and Las Vegas resident, Pyle has also fought for the now-defunct EliteXC and IFL organizations. Currently riding a four-fight win streak, Pyle has earned 15 of his 17 career wins by submission.
Additionally, Pyle has fought to a decision just twice in his nine-and-a-half year career. The 31-year-old counts Jake Shields, Matt Horwich, Rory Markham and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson among his five career defeats.
The immediate reason for the potential concern surrounding Wilson wasn't clear.
