He is the youngest fighter currently on the UFC roster, he is undefeated, one of the top prospects in mixed martial arts today, and he is Canadian. 20-year-old Rory “The Waterboy” Macdonald is set to take a huge step forward in his development at UFC 115 as he faces the last ever World Extreme Cagefighting Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit.
MacDonald is perhaps the first of the new generation of fighter that has made it to the UFC. A fighter that grew up training in all aspects of MMA, as opposed to having a background in wrestling or jiu-jitsu or striking. He began training at age 14 and was fighting grown men professionally starting at age 16.
The young canuck has amassed a 10-0 record, finishing all ten of his opponents by either strikes or by submission. MacDonald made his UFC debut earlier this year defeating veteran Mike Guymon by first round armbar.
The Quesnel, B.C. native will be fighting in front of a hometown crowd at GM Place, which will undoubtedly be raucous and deafening. His opponent, Condit, is by far the toughest test of his career and MacDonald knows this.
“Obviously Carlos is a great fighter, but I think his greatest asset is that he never stops,” MacDonald said in a recent interview. “He's a relentless fighter, he's got a lot of heart, and you can't break that guy so you really have to put him away with technique and you have to be a more solid fighter, which is what I think I am.”
MacDonald is a tactician while Condit (24-5) often engages in wild, back-and-forth battles, even putting himself in danger to gain an advantage. “I think his game has a lot more holes than mine and I'm going to expose that,” said MacDonald. “It can't just be a win, it has to be an exciting performance and that's what I'm looking to do. Wherever the fight goes, there's going to be pressure from me and there'll be a finish for sure. I'm not going to take this to a decision."
MacDonald has received praise from trainers, analysts and fellow fighters. Even Georges St. Pierre called Rory the next big thing in MMA. If he is able to defeat Condit, his notoriety and welterweight ranking will take a meteoric rise.
For another CanadianProFighter.com Exclusive Feature Interview link World, Meet Rory Macdonald
For more stories on Canadian fighters and all things Canadian MMA, visit CanadianProFighter.com.
For more info on the UFC visit ufc.com
No comments:
Post a Comment