Rising welterweight star Rory “Ares” MacDonald will look to build on a two-fight win streak when he locks horns with English veteran Che Mills later this April.
The fight will be broadcast as part of the UFC 145 main card, which features longtime rivals Jon Jones and Rashad Evans.
MacDonald, a native of Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada, will enter his fifth UFC contest as a decided favorite and is confident that he will come away victorious.
MacDonald blogged about his upcoming bout via the Sportsnet.ca Ultimate Blogger series.
“I’m not worried about [Mills] and I’m not worried about this fight,” wrote MacDonald. “I feel like I’m at such a high level right now and my confidence is at an all-time high.”
The 22-year-old youngster exudes self-confidence heading into the fight, but he’s not willing to discount his opponent simply because Mills lacks the name recognition of a top-ranked fighter. MacDonald wrote:
Honestly, rankings are all incredibly subjective anyway. Nobody has a true set of rankings they can offer me. It’s all just opinion. Sure, you can figure out a top five or a top ten, but it will always be adjusted to your personal preference.
But to MacDonald, fighting an unranked guy like Mills or a highly regarded welterweight like Carlos Condit is ultimately the same task.
“I’m confident of beating every man currently competing in the 170-pound division, and that’s the truth,” he explains. “I’m ready for them all.”
But before he begins wading through the upper echelon of the welterweight class, the prospect must pay his dues, fighting against lesser known competition. MacDonald wrote:
I didn’t know who my next opponent was to begin with when I was offered him for my upcoming fight. I was given the name, Che Mills, but wasn’t able to put a face to it or even remember whether I’d seen him fight before.
After doing a little research on Mills, MacDonald remains certain that he will make a stepping stone out of his opponent. “I hold no fear standing toe-to-toe with this guy,” he notes. “I’m fairly certain I’ll be better than he is in every single area of this fight.”
MacDonald’s certainty is echoed by oddsmakers, fans and analysts alike, who all see him pulling out a win. Though MacDonald does not provide a precise prediction regarding the outcome of his bout with Mills, he ends the blog entry with an exclamation point.
He writes, “I don’t visualize this fight with Che Mills going very long…”
The bout goes down April 21 at UFC 145 in Atlanta.
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