A welterweight bout between Rory MacDonald and Tyron Woodley is official for UFC 174, and it will serve as the co-main event.
The news was announced by the UFC’s Canadian Twitter account:
UFC 174 takes place June 14 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Due to regulatory issues, it will be the UFC’s first visit to the city since UFC 131 in 2011. The event currently has no announced main event.
The bout has been in the works for several weeks, but only became official when Woodley signed a new eight-fight contract with the UFC on Tuesday.
Woodley told MMAjunkie’s Steven Marrocco that he’s ready for the bout:
I just finished an eight-fight deal with the UFC. I’m ready for the killer MacDonald, because the conservative person is going to get hurt bad.
Woodley, ranked No. 4 in the welterweight division, is coming off the most important win of his career. He defeated Carlos Condit at UFC 171 in March. It was his third win since moving to the UFC from Strikeforce a year ago, and vaulted him into contender status. Many believed Woodley deserved the next shot at new champion Johny Hendricks, but Hendricks will be out of action until fall at the earliest.
MacDonald defeated Demian Maia in his last Octagon outing at UFC 170 in February. The win pushed his career record to 16-2, and he is currently ranked No. 2 in the division behind champion Hendricks and Robbie Lawler.
The winner of MacDonald vs. Woodley will likely be given serious consideration as the next challenger for Hendricks’ championship belt when he returns.
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