Four months after its last trip to Canada, UFC returns to the country with Rory MacDonald in the main event.
The UFC announced Thursday that the Canadian welterweight is set to clash against the last Strikeforce welterweight champion Tarec Saffiedine in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Oct. 4.
MacDonald (17-2) enters the cage coming off back-to-back victories over Tyron Woodley and Demian Maia, and a win over Saffiedine could earn the Canadian prospect a shot at the welterweight gold. He has won seven of his past eight UFC bouts, including a pair of TKO finishes.
Saffiedine (15-3), who has been dealing with injuries since he moved from Strikeforce to the UFC, impressed in his Octagon debut, defeating Hyun Gyu Lim in January. The Team Quest product was forced to cancel other two bouts due to injury, against Robbie Lawler and Jake Ellenberger.