Weight Class: Welterweight The main event of the evening is the one to watch. This is one of those cards that should preform well - probably better than you might expect at first glance - but as far as name value goes, this is the fight that will draw eyeballs. Rory "Ares" MacDonald (172) has long been considered the heir apparent to GSP. He trains with GSP. He's in the same division. The two had long said they would not fight one another, and they stayed true to their word. Now that GSP is in a self-imposed exile from the UFC, a semi-retirement of sorts. it's MacDonald's time to shine - but he has struggled with consistency of late. He is also desperately in need of a finish (a criticism not unfamiliar to St. Pierre, either). MacDonald has won two straight fights since a decision loss to current, repeat title contender Robbie Lawler, taking a decision over Damian Maia, and frankly beating up Tyron Woodley over the course of three rounds for another decision win. He just can't seem to pull the trigger on a finish, having not finished a UFC fight in over two years. Tarec Saffiedine, meanwhile, is no easy task to face. The final Strikeforce welterweight title holder, Saffiedine has brutal leg kicks that could give MacDonald's strong footwork some real trouble. The fight against MacDonald marks the Belgian fighter's second appearance in the UFC, but he has not lost since 2011 to Woodley. MMA math doesn't work, however, so take the fact that MacDonald recently beat Woodley with a grain of salt. That said, we expect MacDonald to take the win here - by decision. The stoppage victory will continue to elude him, as will a title shot, for now.
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.
