Michael McDonald (17-3) had not fought inside the Octagon since 2013, and that is exactly what it looked like through the first round of his fight against Masanori Kanehara (25-13-5) at UFC 195 on Saturday night.
It was a tough task for his return fight after more than two years out of action, and the No. 8-ranked bantamweight contender struggled to find the same success that made him a title contender prior to his injury. Kanehara was making his long-awaited return less triumphant by the second.
Kanehara got McDonald to the mat early in the second round and went for an arm-triangle choke.
As Kanehara passed to the side to tighten up the submission attempt, McDonald contorted his body to slip out of danger and take his opponent’s back. It was a marvelous back take that opened the door for him to finish the fight right away.
McDonald sunk in the rear-naked choke, and Kanehara had no choice but to tap out.
The back take into the submission makes it an early Submission of the Year candidate. It was an extraordinary transition and fight reversal. The dramatic ending ensured that McDonald made an impact in his Octagon return.
Following UFC 195, it is evident that Mayday is the perfect nickname for Michael McDonald.
With the victory in the featured preliminary bout on Fox Sports 1, the American is right back in the thick of the bantamweight division. And he is still just 24 years old. The UFC has options on how it wants to bring McDonald back into the mix. After this performance, fans will be interested in what comes next.
McDonald’s incredible finish will be hard to top, but there are 12 months for another mind-boggling submission to occur. 2016 should be a whole lot of fun.
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