The UFC makes its first trip to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, this Saturday with an excellent Fight Night offering on Fox Sports 1.
In the main event, former title contender Rory MacDonald makes his return to the Octagon after his devastating fifth-round loss to champion Robbie Lawler last July. MacDonald faces karate expert Stephen Thompson, who put a stamp on his entry into the welterweight division’s elite with a crushing first-round knockout of former champion Johny Hendricks in February.
This is one of the best potential fights in a division stacked with talent, and it could well determine the next contender to the welterweight crown.
The bout takes on additional meaning because this is the last fight on MacDonald’s contract. If he wins, he becomes one of the biggest free agents to hit the market in the history of the sport.
The main event is the biggest and most relevant fight on the card, but the rest of the event is stacked with fun fights. Action fighter Donald Cerrone takes on veteran Canadian brawler Patrick Cote in an entertaining co-main event, while former hockey enforcer Steve Bosse meets Sean O’Connell in another bout that promises violence.
Name value isn’t the preliminary card’s strong suit, but nearly every fight should be full of action. Keep an eye in particular on the middleweight bouts between Tamdan McCrory and Krzysztof Jotko and Elias Theodorou and Sam Alvey, the latter of which headlines the Fight Pass portion of the event.
Let’s take a look at each individual matchup.