Kelowna mixed martial artist Rory MacDonald says he won’t fight welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre because the pair are friends and training partners.
But if MacDonald continues his rise through the UFC’s welterweight division, he may not have a choice.
MacDonald, 22, won his third UFC fight in a row on Saturday night, beating English fighter Che Mills in dominating fashion and improving to 13-1 overall and 4-1 in the UFC.
“I’m very happy that I won,” said MacDonald after the fight, which the referee stopped in the second round as MacDonald landed a barrage of blows. “I made some technical errors that I can look back on and fix. I’m happy because I can work on that and get better.”
The fight wraps up MacDonald’s original five fight contract with the UFC and while there is no word on his next fight, there is little question that the former member of Kelowna’s Toshido Fighting Arts will continue with the UFC.
Jason Probst of the web site www.MMAmania.com, said MacDonald’s success comes from his overall skill package which was on display on Saturday.
“He imposed his will from start to finish against Mills,” said Probst. “He’s great everywhere. He’s not just a good striker, he doesn’t just have good ground-and-pound or good wrestling skills. He’s great everywhere. That’s why he’s shooting up the rankings so fast.”
MacDonald’s only loss in the UFC came against Carlos Condit, a fighter that is scheduled to step into the ring against St. Pierre in November.
When asked after Saturday’s fight whether MacDonald would want to step into the ring with St. Pierre he said no, instead talking about a rematch with Condit.
“I want my rematch with Carlos soon,” he said. “Besides that I just want to keep fighting and getting experienced. [Who I fight] is up to my management, the UFC and my coaches.”
