One to Watch- Rory MacDonald | Thebigtip

Currently the youngest fighter in the UFC at 21 years of age, it is fair to say that Rory MacDonald could be gracing the UFC octagon for a long while yet.

Snapped up by the UFC in 2010, Rory has already had two fights in the octagon. He tasted success in his first encounter, after submitting his opponent, Mike Guymon, in the opening round.

His second outing as a UFC fighter was against experienced mixed martial artist Carlos Condit and earned the ‘Fight of the Night’ award but ended in disappointment for the young Canadian. MacDonald had the better of the first two rounds but was stopped in the third after being rocked by a counter-punch by Condit. The American then dominated the rest of the round, swarming on his opposition with a barrage of punches before the referee intervened.

Currently 1-1 in the UFC, Rory is still finding his feet with a good camp behind him but with UFC legend Georges St-Pierre a frequent training partner, MacDonald looks to have all the tools of a future champion.

Half-way through his four-fight contract with the UFC, it could be said that the Canadian is fighting for an extended contract and his future.

Although only 21 years of age, it will be important for MacDonald to establish himself in his next fight and work his way up the welterweight ladder. With names like Jon Fitch, BJ Penn and Jake Shields currently occupying the welterweight division, there is nothing that MacDonald would want more than a win in his next fight to propel him up the welterweight ranks where he will likely get an opportunity of going toe-to-toe with the aforementioned fighters.

With MacDonald now fully recovered from his injury, the prodigy is itching to get his gloves on and step back into the octagon.

With his next bout yet to be announced, fans and the media alike are waiting eagerly to see what the next chapter will be in the young Canadian’s career.

When analysing the prospect of potential fights, one can’t help but look salivatingly at the possibility of Rory MacDonald facing John Hathaway.

Hathaway is also a very promising fighter. Still only 23 years of age, the young Brit is a well-rounded fighter with a strong record of 13-1 in his MMA career.

Hathaway is also coming off a loss, having been defeated in-front of his home crowd by Mike Pyle. Both fighters will be eager to flush the previous fights out of their systems and move on to the next chapter of their career.

Only one of the two fighters will be able to continue on their voyage for the UFC belt while the other young hopeful will be licking his wounds having experienced the second loss of their career.

With no match-up confirmed, it is a matter of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ the two young fighters will cross paths in what is set to be a fight for the ages.