The enormity of Sunday’s headline clash in Ottawa will not be lost on Rory MacDonald.
When he enters the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 89 to face Stephen Thompson, there is more than just consolidating the No1 welterweight contender’s spot at stake.
Indeed, the direction of the Canadian’s career hangs on this one fight. For him, it’s the difference between potentially thousands, if not millions of dollars because this is the last fight on his UFC contract – the result of which will determine his bargaining power.
It’s not inconceivable to consider that this may be the last time we see ‘The Red King’ inside the Octagon.
The topic of free agency has been hot on the agenda in MMA this year but this is a truly unique case.
Yes, we’ve seen big names explore other options – Benson Henderson immediately springs to mind – but MacDonald is different.
At just 26, he is in the prime of his career. His five-round hellacious war with 170lbs champion Robbie Lawler last year is the stuff of legend. And when you amalgamate all these details with his Canadian background – a key MMA market – MacDonald is unquestionably an attractive asset.
Just how appealing will come down to Sunday (main card starts at 06:30), though, because there are questions to be answered and in Thompson, MacDonald will have one of his most ruthless examinations to date. There are unknowns, the biggest of which is how will he look post-Lawler?
While that fight undoubtedly left an indelible mark on the fans, the damage he sustained may have left its own lasting impression on his body. He ultimately shut down when he eventually lost via TKO in the final stanza. MacDonald even admits himself that the fight has changed him, only for the better.
“I feel different – I feel better,” said the Tristar MMA standout. “I feel (the fight against Lawler) made me more animalistic – made me more hungry to be a fighter, to train like one, to be a beast.
“I’ve been hungry ever since the fight. I was in sparring a couple of months after, and I was feeling real hungry and motivated. If it wasn’t for a broken nose I’d have been back early. I was ready to go.”
MacDonald will take that vitality into the Octagon with him and he’ll need to because in Thompson he faces one of the most dangerous strikers in all of MMA.
A former world champion kickboxer, ‘Wonderboy’ is riding a six-fight win streak and it includes a spectacular finish of former title holder Johny Hendricks last time out. His fluid skills in the stand-up are almost unparalleled and for the last bout of your contract he is a formidable prospect.
It’s a treacherous path for MacDonald to navigate and one which will shape the course of his career.
