In the aftermath of Rory MacDonald’s third-round TKO of Tarec Saffiedine on Saturday, a common phrase flying around online was that it’ll now be “hard to deny” MacDonald a welterweight title shot.
And for sheer factual accuracy, it’s tough to top that choice of words.
MacDonald looked phenomenal in dispatching Saffiedine after just over 11 minutes of action at UFC Fight Night 54. He controlled the mostly stand-up fight with his piercing jab and sharp punching combinations. Saffiedine’s best offensive weapon was his leg kick, but he ultimately succumbed to MacDonald’s preternatural skills and continually tightening pressure.
Fans who’d stayed to the wee hours at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, showered him with polite applause. The victory boosted the 25-year-old British Columbia native to 9-2 in the UFC (18-2 overall) and did a lot to separate him from the small pack of fighters waiting for champion Johny Hendricks to rematch Robbie Lawler at UFC 181.
“I really don’t see anyone else,” MacDonald said at the postfight press conference, via MMA Junkie’s Steven Marrocco and Mike Bohn. “I beat some really good guys this year, and I think beating a guy like Tarec…hopefully the UFC takes notice and puts me in for that title shot so I can bring it back here to Canada.”
He appeared to come to his third fight of 2014 (and his fourth in a bit less than 11 months) with a chip on his shoulder. The typically understated MacDonald tried to downplay the fact Saffiedine had specifically called him out for this bout, but he radiated an uncharacteristic intensity as the two men took the cage.
For Saffiedine, starting this fight was purely strategic. The former Strikeforce welterweight champion unexpectedly fashioned himself into an interesting UFC commodity by trouncing Lim Hyun-Gyu by unanimous decision back in January. A victory over MacDonald, who came in already No. 2 on the UFC’s official welterweight rankings, might’ve made him an instant contender.
Alas, it was not to be.
MacDonald has sometimes been maligned for being technically great but emotionally uninspired in the Octagon. Prior to Saffiedine, his last five UFC appearances all resulted in judges’ decisions. He amassed a 4-1 record in those fights but had gone without a stoppage since his April 2012 win over Che Mills.
This wasn’t one of those nights.
MacDonald looked ever patient in stalking Saffiedine down but flashed his easy power when he felt he had the 28-year-old Team Quest fighter in vulnerable spots. When the end came, it was with MacDonald’s athletic grace, slipping past his opponent’s defenses to land an overhand right and then a left uppercut that dropped Saffiedine to the mat. MacDonald followed with a series of punches that forced referee Herb Dean to step in.
The knockout victory succinctly made MacDonald’s case to leave other 170-pound title hopefuls like Tyron Woodley and Hector Lombard in his wake, as the $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus he won can attest. Reports indicate the UFC’s projected 2015 schedule could land him a championship opportunity in his surrogate hometown sometime in the spring.
Yet it’s easy to keep harkening back to that telling choice of words—that it’ll be “hard to deny” MacDonald after this win. You get the impression some fans would merely accept him as champion, not necessarily welcome him with wide-open arms.
Like Georges St-Pierre before him, he comes pre-equipped with a willing fanbase north of the border but has otherwise struggled to connect with the UFC faithful. MacDonald certainly looks the part, rivaling Anthony Pettis and Conor McGregor as the fight company’s leading clotheshorse, but he lacks St-Pierre’s innate charisma and laidback charm.
He’s an exceedingly polite guy, but he doesn’t give you much in an interview setting, and there’s something a little bit haunted about him, too. Fans have long poked fun at his quiet and seemingly emotionless demeanor. We got to see a touch of passion from him Saturday, as he stood over Saffiedine’s stunned body and pounded his chest. It was awkward, but maybe better than nothing.
MacDonald set his goals exceedingly high. He told me a few months ago he doesn’t concern himself much with fame but wants to surpass what even St-Pierre accomplished as a martial artist. With GSP still out on extended hiatus, MacDonald may have already claimed his spot as the face of Canadian MMA, even if the crown doesn’t seem to fit like a glove.
Now, unless some unforeseen calamity delays it, he’ll likely get his chance to reclaim the welterweight title on Canada’s behalf early next year.
If he means to follow St-Pierre into the history books (and to the bank), though, MacDonald would be wise to keep the excitement coming inside the cage.
And give a little more outside it, as well.
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