2. Rory Macdonald vs. Tryon Woodley
Weight Class: Welterweight Once the heir-apparent to former welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, Rory Macdonald is looking to get back in the title hunt against Tryon Woodley in a bout that was originally believed to be a title eliminator, until that was handed to the upcoming Robbie Lawler/Matt Brown bout. Macdonald, the hometown kid, goes up against a surging Woodley, who has TKO wins over Josh Koscheck and Carlos Condit in his last two fights. And while the Condit fight was a TKO via injury, it was the constant pressure of Woodley that led to said injury. For his part, Macdonald, after moving to Tri-Star to train with GSP after a loss to Condit in 2010, had been looking dominant, reeling off wins over Nate Diaz, Che Mills, and decimating B.J. Penn in a match that lost him as many fans as it gained him due to some showboating and cockiness. Still, Macdonald looked like the next GSP until he mailed in a dull performance against Jake Ellenberger. He took the win, but he also took heavy criticism from fans and UFC president Dana White. While many expect him to come back strong, he wound up dropping a split decision to Robbie Lawler, who would go on to fight for GSP's vacant welterweight belt, losing to Johnny Hendricks. He righted the ship against Demian Maia this past February, taking a decision, but this highlights Macdonald's current issue: he needs to come out with a sense of urgency and finish. Woodley has no such problem, and as a result, expect him to upset the Canadian. Woodley will continue to build momentum and take his game to the next level. Woodley by unanimous decision.