Rising UFC welterweight contender Rory MacDonald said Monday that he is fully recovered from a neck injury that derailed his ballyhooed rematch with Carlos Condit.
“My neck and back is not an issue anymore. It doesn’t bother me at all,” MacDonald said Monday on The MMA Hour broadcast.
The bout, originally scheduled for March 16 at UFC 158, was cancelled in February after MacDonald sustained the injury. He also was unable to train for about a month.
The news disappointed fight fans, who were excited to watch the 23-year-old MacDonald (14-1, 5-1 in UFC) try to take revenge against the only man to defeat him in his professional MMA career.
Back in 2010, at UFC 115, many viewers and pundits believed MacDonald was headed for a decision victory when Condit scored a TKO with seven seconds remaining in the contest. The UFC deemed the effort to be the Fight of the Night for UFC 115.
Apparently, MacDonald was pretty excited by the opportunity himself. On Monday, he chalked up the injury to overtraining for Condit, who MacDonald personally called out in December.
“I’m just going to try to train similar to the fight against B.J.,” MacDonald said, referencing his December thrashing of B.J. Penn. “I think I was too anxious when they announced I was going to fight Carlos…Sometimes I overtrain. And sometimes I just have to settle down.”
After MacDonald pulled out of UFC 158, Condit instead faced Johny Hendricks. Condit fought well but lost by unanimous decision.
Condit (28-7) does not currently have another announced opponent. Hendricks is now expected to fight next for the UFC welterweight title, currently held by Georges St-Pierre.
MacDonald, meanwhile, is set to face another contender in Jake Ellenberger, who is on a two-fight win streak and is known for dishing out big knockouts. The two will fight on July 27 at UFC on Fox 8.
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