Dear Dana,
At UFC 174, Rory MacDonald showed that he has what it takes to bring the UFC Welterweight Championship back to Tri-Star. MacDonald dismantled number three ranked Tyron Woodley in a showing that proved that the Canadian Psycho is finally ready for his championship opportunity. Please Mr. White, let Rory MacDonald fight Johny Hendricks for the Welterweight Championship.
With Georges St. Pierre on hiatus from the UFC, all eyes have been on MacDonald to use the opportunity to capture the belt that was his mentor’s for so long. Since his close decision loss to Robbie Lawler, Rory has shown that he could be the man at 170.
Rory MacDonald’s Absolute Domination of Tyron Woodley
All week you could scroll the comments of Youtube or Reddit and hear people criticize MacDonald, saying that Woodley would knock the kid out cold. MacDonald did exactly what needed to be done to derail the Woodley hype train.
MacDonald pressured Woodley the moment the fight started. MacDonald backed Woodley into the corners of the octagon, pressured him against the cage with his jab, and started landing hard shots at a safe range. He neutralized Woodley’s wrestling by maintaining that range, while also avoiding Woodley’s haymaker punches.
In the third round, MacDonald did what most didn’t expect and took Woodley down. He not only out struck Woodley, picking him apart against the cage, but also landed the strongest takedown of the fight, and controlled Woodley from the top, landing plenty of shots while the final seconds ticked off of the clock.
Hendricks Similar Style to Woodley
Although many would argue that GSP was unsuccessful in implementing this game plan, St. Pierre did show that one way to beat Hendricks is to control distance and to stay at a good range where Hendricks can’t land a big left hand, or a takedown.
Woodley has a very similar style to Hendricks, though Hendricks is quicker and a better wrestler than Woodley, though Woodley is more aggressive. The way to beat a wrestler with knockout power is no secret, and the team at Tri-Star seems to have figured out the correct game plan to win these fights.
Firas Zahabi, MacDonald and St. Pierre’s coach, must have learned from the last Hendricks fight against GSP. Like Urijah Faber and TJ Dillishaw, it might take the younger, quicker and more technically sound fighter to beat the dangerous champion. Team Alpha Male and coach Duane Ludwig already had experience against Barao, and could pinpoint how to beat him. Zahabi might already have the perfect game plan to beat the current welterweight champ saved up for MacDonald.
Lawler vs. Brown Winner Shouldn’t be Next.
In a post-fight interview with Ariel Helwani, you said that Rory MacDonald would not be next in line for the title shot, and that the winner of Robbie Lawler vs. Matt Brown would get the next shot. I’m here to tell you that you should strongly re-consider.
Matt Brown is on an impressive seven fight win streak, the longest out of any fighter in the welterweight division. Although this streak is impressive, he has yet to face a single top 10 opponent during that run. If Brown defeats Lawler, one could argue that he solidifies himself as the number one welterweight, but only a single win over a top 10 opponent should not be enough.
Since the rankings were introduced in February of 2012, MacDonald has only fought top 10 fighters. He beat Jake Ellenberger when Ellenberger was ranked #4, lost a close decision to now #1 ranked Robbie Lawler, beat Damien Maia when Maia was ranked #6, and just outclassed the #3 ranked Woodley.
Robbie Lawler does deserve a rematch with Hendricks, but with his fight with Brown a month away, and with Hendricks having last fought in March, it makes sense for the UFC to announce MacDonald vs. Hendricks while both are healthy, instead of waiting on Lawler vs. Brown, where the winner could come out of the fight with an injury.
If the UFC wanted to, they could have Johny Hendricks defend his Welterweight Championship at the Toronto show in September against MacDonald. It would give plenty of time for MacDonald to train, plenty of time for the winner of Lawler vs. Brown to recover, and it would be one of the most anticipated fights of the year, with MacDonald looking to bring a belt back home to Canadian soil.
Hopefully you change your mind, Mr. White. Right now, Rory MacDonald deserves his shot at a UFC Championship. He is ready, and has what it takes to take what was once his teammate, GSP’s place as Welterweight Champion.
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