The last UFC event prior to UFC 179 is in the books, and it provided a solid night of action, though little that really surprised in comparison to how the card played out on paper. At UFC Fight Night 54, all the favourites on the main picked up victories, with no exceptions - the exact opposite to how the day's earlier card, UFC Fight Night 53 (a.k.a. UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Story) played out. Headliner Rory MacDonald was the big story of the night, at long last picking up a finish victory, and possibly earning himself the title shot he has been after since GSP left the division. His win in the third round against Tarec Saffiedine proves that MacDonald can do more than point fight, and against a solid fighter no less (Saffiedine was the final Strikeforce welterweight champion, and undefeated since 2011). Meanwhile, both Canadian winners of The Ultimate Fight Nations: Canada vs. Australia picked up their second wins in the UFC, though one appears a little further along developmentally than the other - and who might surprise you! Finally, in a pivotal co-main event, Rafael Assuncao edged closer to a title shot in the bantamweight division - but he'll have to wait for the outcome of Dominick Cruz vs. T.J. Dillashaw sometime in 2015, if he doesn't take another fight first. The only negative on the night was perhaps the low number of finishes on the main card, with four of six fights going to decision. With all that said, lets take a look at five lessons we learned from UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
