Rory MacDonald crushes Tarec Saffiedine by TKO, calls for next title shot

By Damon Martin
Published

Rory MacDonald stepped into his first UFC main event on Saturday night needing to make a strong statement that he was ready for a title shot against the winner of the upcoming fight between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler.

The Canadian often dubbed as "the future of the welterweight division" got the job done with an emphatic third-round TKO of former Strikeforce champion Tarec Saffiedine.

MacDonald (18-2) didn't get caught up in the moment, although just about everybody watching in the arena and at home on television had to know that an impressive win likely would score him a long-awaited title shot. Still, dominating and finishing a former champion certainly puts an exclamation point on things.

The 25-year-old MMA prodigy came out in his normal fight stance, taking the center of the Octagon and immediately applying his lead jab. Saffiedine (15-4) struggled to get his timing down early but by the second round he started to establish his leg kicks, which had been absolutely devastating to his last two opponents.

MacDonald never wavered or showed signs of weakness because of anything Saffiedine did, even when his opponent came out stronger than ever at the start of the third round. The aggressiveness of Saffiedine opened up his defenses just enough for MacDonald to land a hard overhand right, followed by a crushing left uppercut that sent Saffiedine to the canvas.

MacDonald followed with a few more strikes as Saffiedine went limp and the referee swooped in for the stoppage. The TKO marked MacDonald's third win in a row while also notching his first finish since April 2012 when he took out former UFC fighter Che Mills.

At this stage of his career with three consecutive victories, all against top-10 opponents, there's little standing in MacDonald's way from earning the next crack at the welterweight title.

"I think it goes without saying I'm next for that title," MacDonald said. "I want that title shot, I want the winner of that next fight. Please, give it to me!"

It's going to be hard to deny MacDonald at this point, especially considering his finish of Saffiedine and standing in the division. With welterweight champion Hendricks and No. 1 contender Lawler already set to face off Dec. 6 at UFC 181, it makes all the sense in the world to have the winner face MacDonald in early 2015.