Tag: Rory MacDonald

UFC Rankings Update: ‘Wonderboy’ Tops Welterweight List

Following what was a crazy night at UFC Fight Night 89 in Ottawa this past Saturday (June 18, 2016), some big moves have been made to the 170-pound rankings following a pair of electrifying welterweight contests. Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson bested former title challenger Rory MacDonald in their main event contest, after five rounds of what turned

The post UFC Rankings Update: ‘Wonderboy’ Tops Welterweight List appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Following what was a crazy night at UFC Fight Night 89 in Ottawa this past Saturday (June 18, 2016), some big moves have been made to the 170-pound rankings following a pair of electrifying welterweight contests.

Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson bested former title challenger Rory MacDonald in their main event contest, after five rounds of what turned out to be a beautiful technical war between the two mixed martial artists, by taking home a unanimous decision win over ‘The Red King’ in his home country of Canada. The one-sided victory boosted Thompson past MacDonald into the top spot on the 170-pound rankings. Heading into his murky contract negotiations, MacDonald sits at the No. 2 spot following two losses to the champion and top-ranked combatant.

Also at 170 pounds, Demian Maia moved up to the No. 3 spot without fighting, tying title contender Tyron Woodley.

In the co-main event of the evening, Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone made some noise of his own in the welterweight division even though he typically competes in the deeply talented pool that is the UFC 155-pound weight class, by appearing on the 170-pound rankings after knocking out Patrick Cote in the third round of their bout in Ottawa. The dominant win saw Cerrone debut at No. 14, pushing Thiago Alves down to No. 15.

The next biggest move of significance was Joanne Calderwood’s rise up the women’s strawweight rankings following her brutal third-round TKO of former title contender Valerie Letourneau. Calderwood skyrocketed five spots up the 115-pound ranks to No.7 for the win, after which she declared she was ‘broke as hell’ and would have to get a job in order to continue fighting.

You can check out the full updated rankings in their entirety courtesy of UFC.com right here:

POUND-FOR-POUND
1 Jon Jones
2 Demetrious Johnson
3 Dominick Cruz
4 Robbie Lawler
5 Rafael Dos Anjos
6 Conor McGregor
7 Daniel Cormier
8 Jose Aldo
9 Michael Bisping
10 Frankie Edgar
11 Stipe Miocic
12 Joanna Jedrzejczyk
13 Luke Rockhold
14 Chris Weidman
15 Fabricio Werdum

FLYWEIGHT
Champion: Demetrious Johnson
1 Joseph Benavidez
2 Henry Cejudo
3 Jussier Formiga
4 Kyoji Horiguchi
5 Ian McCall
6 John Moraga
7 Zach Makovsky
8 Wilson Reis
9 Ali Bagautinov +1
10 Dustin Ortiz -1
11 Justin Scoggins
12 Louis Smolka
13 Ray Borg
14 Sergio Pettis
15 Ben Nguyen

BANTAMWEIGHT
Champion: Dominick Cruz
1 TJ Dillashaw
2 Urijah Faber
3 Raphael Assuncao
4 Bryan Caraway
5 Michael McDonald
6 Aljamain Sterling
7 Cody Garbrandt
8 John Lineker
9 John Dodson -1
10 Thomas Almeida
11 Takeya Mizugaki
12 Frankie Saenz
13 Johnny Eduardo
14 Jimmie Rivera
15 Eddie Wineland

FEATHERWEIGHT
Champion: Conor McGregor
1 Jose Aldo
2 Frankie Edgar
3 Max Holloway
4 Chad Mendes
5 Ricardo Lamas
6 Cub Swanson
7 Charles Oliveira
8 Jeremy Stephens
9 Dennis Bermudez
10 Brian Ortega
11 Hacran Dias
12 Darren Elkins
13 Yair Rodriguez
14 Tatsuya Kawajiri
15 Mirsad Bektic

LIGHTWEIGHT
Champion: Rafael Dos Anjos
1 Khabib Nurmagomedov
2 Eddie Alvarez
3 Tony Ferguson
4 Donald Cerrone
5 Nate Diaz
6 Edson Barboza
7 Anthony Pettis
8 Michael Johnson
9 Dustin Poirier
10 Michael Chiesa
11 Beneil Dariush
12 Al Iaquinta
13 Evan Dunham +1
14 Rashid Magomedov -1
15 Francisco Trinaldo

WELTERWEIGHT
Champion: Robbie Lawler
1 Stephen Thompson +1
2 Rory MacDonald -1
3 Tyron Woodley
3 Demian Maia +1
5 Carlos Condit
6 Johny Hendricks
7 Neil Magny
8 Matt Brown
9 Rick Story +1
9 Dong Hyun Kim
11 Gunnar Nelson
12 Kelvin Gastelum
13 Tarec Saffiedine
14 Donald Cerrone *NR
15 Thiago Alves -1

MIDDLEWEIGHT
Champion: Michael Bisping
1 Luke Rockhold
2 Chris Weidman
3 Jacare Souza
4 Vitor Belfort
5 Anderson Silva
6 Robert Whittaker
7 Lyoto Machida
8 Gegard Mousasi
9 Uriah Hall
10 Derek Brunson +1
11 Tim Kennedy -1
12 Thales Leites
13 Dan Henderson
14 Rafael Natal
15 Thiago Santos -1

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Champion: Daniel Cormier
1 Jon Jones (Interim Champion)
2 Anthony Johnson
3 Glover Teixeira
4 Alexander Gustafsson
5 Ryan Bader
6 Ovince Saint Preux
7 Mauricio Rua
8 Rashad Evans
9 Jimi Manuwa
10 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
11 Nikita Krylov
12 Corey Anderson
13 Ilir Latifi
14 Patrick Cummins
15 Gian Villante

HEAVYWEIGHT
Champion: Stipe Miocic
1 Fabricio Werdum
2 Cain Velasquez
3 Alistair Overeem
4 Junior Dos Santos
5 Ben Rothwell
6 Andrei Arlovski
7 Travis Browne
8 Mark Hunt
9 Josh Barnett
10 Roy Nelson
11 Frank Mir +1
12 Derrick Lewis -1
13 Stefan Struve
14 Ruslan Magomedov
15 Alexey Oliynyk

WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT
Champion: Joanna Jedrzejczyk
1 Claudia Gadelha
2 Carla Esparza
3 Rose Namajunas
4 Tecia Torres
5 Karolina Kowalkiewicz +1
6 Jessica Andrade +1
7 Joanne Calderwood +5
8 Maryna Moroz
9 Valerie Letourneau -4
10 Paige VanZant -1
11 Michelle Waterson
12 Jessica Penne -2
13 Randa Markos +1
14 Jessica Aguilar -1
15 Juliana Lima

WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT
Champion: Miesha Tate
1 Holly Holm
2 Ronda Rousey
3 Cat Zingano
4 Amanda Nunes
5 Julianna Pena
6 Sara McMann
7 Valentina Shevchenko
8 Liz Carmouche
9 Raquel Pennington
10 Jessica Eye
11 Bethe Correia
12 Germaine de Randamie
13 Lauren Murphy
14 Ashlee Evans-Smith
15 Marion Reneau

 

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Fight Night 89 Results/Highlights: Thompson Outguns MacDonald, Cerrone Batters Cote + More

(via UFC on FOX)

In Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson vs. Rory “I Refuse to Write His Nickname” MacDonald, we were expecting one of the more technical battles you’ll ever see in the octagon; one was a kickboxing and karate master with a wealth of experience behind him, the other an archetype of the modern MMA fighter whose only losses had come to the top 1% of his division. Suffice it to say, a sloppy haymaker-fest it would not end up being (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

Our predictions, as it turns out, were mostly spot-on. What we might not have expected, however, is that Thompson would almost completely shut down MacDonald’s attack over the the course of five rounds and reduce his face to the mashed-up pile of blood and gore that only Robbie Lawler before him was able to do.

It was quite possibly Thompson’s best performance to date, and one that cemented his name as the next title contender (after Tyron Woodley, for whatever reason). As for the “Red King” (dammit, I said it!), well, it looks like it’s back to the drawing board, by which I mean that he may very well have to hire a team of scientists and graphic artists to draw him up a new nose, because he won’t have much of a fighting future left with the one he’s got.

Head after the jump for a complete recap of Fight Night 89.

The post Fight Night 89 Results/Highlights: Thompson Outguns MacDonald, Cerrone Batters Cote + More appeared first on Cagepotato.


(via UFC on FOX)

In Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson vs. Rory “I Refuse to Write His Nickname” MacDonald, we were expecting one of the more technical battles you’ll ever see in the octagon; one was a kickboxing and karate master with a wealth of experience behind him, the other an archetype of the modern MMA fighter whose only losses had come to the top 1% of his division. Suffice it to say, a sloppy haymaker-fest it would not end up being (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

Our predictions, as it turns out, were mostly spot-on. What we might not have expected, however, is that Thompson would almost completely shut down MacDonald’s attack over the the course of five rounds and reduce his face to the mashed-up pile of blood and gore that only Robbie Lawler before him was able to do.

It was quite possibly Thompson’s best performance to date, and one that cemented his name as the next title contender (after Tyron Woodley, for whatever reason). As for the “Red King” (dammit, I said it!), well, it looks like it’s back to the drawing board, by which I mean that he may very well have to hire a team of scientists and graphic artists to draw him up a new nose, because he won’t have much of a fighting future left with the one he’s got.

Head after the jump for a complete recap of Fight Night 89.

In the evening’s co-main event, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone improved to 2-0 as a welterweight with a surprisingly dominant performance over Patrick “Look Into My Eyes and See The Wellspring of All Creation” Cote. Known the world across for his notoriously tough chin — which has stood up to the likes of Anderson Silva, Stephen Thompson, and Tito Ortiz — the Canadian “Predator” was dropped on numerous occasions by Cerrone, finally succumbing to a flourish of strikes in the third round. The sky appears to be the limit for Cerrone at 170 for now, which begs the question: With USADA’s recently-implemented weight-cutting rules now in place, are we about to enter the era of fighters going *up* a weight-class to save their careers? Details at 11.

You know that thing I said early about haymaker-fests? Well that’s more or less what the light heavyweight battle between Steve “The Boss” Bosse and Sean “The New Tom Lawler of Weigh-Ins” O’Connell was (are these nickname jokes working for you at all?), and it was fantastic. After nearly getting slept in the first round — well, actually getting slept, then somehow recovering — Bosse managed to rally in the second and third to deliver some brutal punishment of his own. How either guy had the stamina or strength left to engage in that final exchange is beyond impressive, and the UFC should probably do the sensible thing and book them in a rematch on every other card for the rest of eternity.

But it wouldn’t be a night of MMA without some horrific judging and/or refereeing, amiright Nation? On Saturday, that came in the form of referee Jerin Valel, who you might remember as the guy who nearly got Ruan Potts, Josh Koscheck *and* Mark Munoz killed back at UFC 184, who all but forced Valerie Letourneau to go out on her shield against Joanna Calderwood after she had clearly given up. You’d think that a fighter turning her back on his/her opponent and fleeing would be enough of a sign that they were unable to fight back, but not for Jerin Valel. Because Jerin Valel does not operate under the assumptions that you or I do. No, when he sees a man being choked within an inch of his life, he makes sure that he sees his soul dip its toes into the Netherrealm before bringing him back to life. He’s basically the Red Priestess of MMA in that regard.

The full results for Fight night 89 are below.

Main card
Stephen Thompson def. Rory MacDonald via unanimous decision (50-45 x2, 48-47)
Donald Cerrone def. Patrick Cote via third-round TKO (2:35)
Steve Bosse def. Sean O’Connell via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Thibault Gouti via submission (rear-naked choke) (R3, 2:28)
Joanne Calderwood def. Valerie Letourneau via third-round TKO (2:51)

Undercard
Jason Saggo def. Leandro Silva via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Misha Cirkunov def. Ion Cutelaba via submission (arm triangle) (R3, 1:22)
Krzysztof Jotko def. Tamdan McCrory via first-round TKO (0:59)
Joe Soto def. Chris Beal via submission (rear-naked choke) (R3, 3:39)
Elias Theodorou def. Sam Alvey via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 x2)
Randa Markos def. Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger via UD (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Colby Covington def. Jonathan Meunier via submission (rear-naked choke) (R3, :54)
Ali Bagautinov def. Geane Herrera via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

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UFC Fight Night 89: Video Highlights Of Thompson-MacDonald, Cerrone-Cote

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNBMQdYeiHg[/embed]

If you missed this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 89 card, have no fear.

Highlights from some of the action can be found in the videos here, courtesy of FOX Sports 1.

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macdonald-thompson-ufn-89-s

If you missed this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 89 card, have no fear.

Highlights from some of the action can be found in the videos here, courtesy of FOX Sports 1.

After Biggest Win, “Wonderboy” Wants Lawler – Not Woodley – In NYC

Rising UFC welterweight Stephen Thompson picked up by far the biggest victory of his MMA career when he outlasted Rory MacDonald in the main event of last night’s (Sat., June 18, 2016) UFC Fight Night 89 from the TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, but now he’s understandably got his sights set on a bigger

The post After Biggest Win, “Wonderboy” Wants Lawler – Not Woodley – In NYC appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Rising UFC welterweight Stephen Thompson picked up by far the biggest victory of his MMA career when he outlasted Rory MacDonald in the main event of last night’s (Sat., June 18, 2016) UFC Fight Night 89 from the TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, but now he’s understandably got his sights set on a bigger prize.

After the huge win over “The Red King,” Thompson wasted no time in stating his desire for a title shot against the winner of the Robbie Lawler vs. Tyron Woodley title bout at UFC 201 on July 30. “Wonderboy” wants the winner of that fight no matter who it is. But speaking to FOX Sports after the fight, he admitted that if he had to choose, he’d pick Lawler because he believes they could put on a great show for fans:

“I think definitely me and Robbie Lawler would definitely put on a better show. I mean Tyron Woodley, he is an explosive guy, he is a wrestler, but I think people want to see a striking war. People want to see somebody get knocked out. I’m not saying Tyron can’t do that, but I figure fighting him, he’d be shooting more towards the legs trying to get me done. So, Robbie Lawler.”

Further discussing his proposed match-up with the exciting Lawler, “Wonderboy” first gave “Ruthless” props for his otherworldly left hand and ability to seemingly get stronger as the bout wears on. But he also noted Lawler likes to stand right in front of his opponent, which is something he likes as a deadly striker:

“Man, he’s got a mean left hand. I mean, as you saw against, when he fought Rory MacDonald – broke his nose, just kept landing it over and over again. He is the type of guy he gets stronger as the fight goes on, so I gotta be in the best shape of my life if I step in there and fight against Robbie Lawler. But you know what? He does stand there in front of you; I like guys that stand there in front of me. I use my movement, use my kicks, switching sides, try to frustrate him a little bit.”

With literally nothing left to do in order to get a title shot after back-to-back wins over the No. 1 and No. 2 fighters, Thompson again spoke up about his preference at the post-fight press conference, adding that he thinks Lawler will be the victor because Woodley has been inactive and slows down as the fight extends into later rounds:

“I would rather fight Robbie Lawler, and I think Robbie Lawler is going to win it,” Thompson said at the post-fight press conference. “He’s stayed active. Tyron Woodley hasn’t. Maybe there is a little bit of cage rust in there. Tyron’s been known to slow down later on in the rounds, and Robbie Lawler, he gets stronger as the rounds go on. So, I see Robbie Lawler winning that fight and I would love to fight him, hopefully in New York City.”

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Poll: Is Stephen Thompson The Next UFC Welterweight Champion?

Although it may not have been the era-defining knockout that many were expecting from him, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson put on arguably his greatest MMA performance when he thoroughly outclassed longtime contender Rory MacDonald in the main event of last night’s (Sat., June 18, 2016) UFC Fight Night 89 from the TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Ontario,

The post Poll: Is Stephen Thompson The Next UFC Welterweight Champion? appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Although it may not have been the era-defining knockout that many were expecting from him, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson put on arguably his greatest MMA performance when he thoroughly outclassed longtime contender Rory MacDonald in the main event of last night’s (Sat., June 18, 2016) UFC Fight Night 89 from the TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Thompson used his peerless striking speed, movement, and angles to pick MacDonald apart with a varied offense of side kicks, hook kicks, and at times, even his vaunted spinning kicks, mixing in a puzzling and punishing boxing game that saw him hit “The Red King” then dart out of harm’s way with surprising ease.

It was cautious at times, yet it was also a dominant victory over the No. 1-ranked welterweight who had nearly ripped the belt from champion Robbie Lawler in his last bout at UFC 189. While questions understandably still remain about MacDonald from that bout, it is also clear that “Wonderboy” has separated himself from the pack at 170 pounds.

“Ruthless” will face Tyron Woodley for the championship in the main event of July 30’s UFC 201 from Atlanta, Georgia, and “Wonderboy” pulled no punches in calling for a fight with the winner at UFC 205 in New York this November. Thompson even said he’d prefer facing the fellow knockout striker Lawler. He should get that fight. If and when he does, are you predicting Thompson will be the next UFC welterweight titleholder?

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Rory MacDonald May Need Surgery After Breaking Nose Again

Last July, Rory “Red King” MacDonald battled it out for five bloody rounds with champion Robbie Lawler in a slugfest for the ages that saw both men have their moments. In the end, however, MacDonald’s nose was shattered and he was finished in the fifth. After taking some time off, MacDonald returned to action last

The post Rory MacDonald May Need Surgery After Breaking Nose Again appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Last July, Rory “Red King” MacDonald battled it out for five bloody rounds with champion Robbie Lawler in a slugfest for the ages that saw both men have their moments. In the end, however, MacDonald’s nose was shattered and he was finished in the fifth.

After taking some time off, MacDonald returned to action last night in his native Canada, taking on surging contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in the main event of UFC Fight Night 89 from Ottawa. The fight produced yet another five round war, and MacDonald once again walked away battered.

The Canadian also suffered yet another broken nose late in the fight, a feeling he described as ‘familiar’. MacDonald also admitted that his nose had broken multiple times leading up the bout and that surgery may be required:

“Fifth round, during a trade, we were both trading a little bit. I don’t know what it was, I was just trying to throw combinations and duck my head but something landed and I felt the waterfall start. The familiar feeling,” MacDonald described at the post-fight press conference.

“I broke it actually a couple times before this fight. I have no idea. I gave it time, it kept breaking. I don’t know if surgery’s going to be the best route. I really just have to take time and at least I’d probably look into surgery, see if that can make it stronger because just time off didn’t do (expletive).”

Later on, MacDonald once again reiterated that he’ll need some time off:

“My nose needs surgery,” MacDonald said. “I’m going to need some time.”

After two straight losses, perhaps some time away and some healing would be best for the “Red King”, who has clearly established himself as a true warrior inside the Octagon.

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