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In the PPV opener, Rory MacDonald continued his rise up the Welterweight ranks by defeating veteran Mike Pyle. The 22 year old MacDonald is beginning to pick up a lot of hype, including Joe Rogan saying he could ultimately be better than Georges St. Pierre. MacDonald is now 3-1 in the UFC, 12-1 overall, with his only loss a close contest against Carlos Condit. Pyle drops to 4-3 in the UFC and sees his 3 fight win streak end.
The fight was another strong performance from MacDonald. Though it may have lacked some of the fireworks of his UFC 129 win over Nate Diaz, it was an impressive display of domination over a skilled veteran in Pyle. MacDonald ended the fight just under 4 minutes into round 1 with ground and pound. Hopefully, his next fight will receive a strong promotional push.
What was the high spot of this fight?
It was an all around solid showing, with the punches MacDonald used to end it standing out.
Where do these guys go from here?
MacDonald is young, and still relatively early in his career, but I think it's time to begin moving him into some deeper waters. Maybe not a Jon Fitch type, but he would make an excellent opponent for one of the many welterweights bubbling under the surface right now - Charlie Brenneman, Rick Story, Jake Shields, Jake Ellenberger, Johny Hendricks - there are a lot of options for MacDonald, and where the UFC places him next will say a lot about his future.
Pyle is a solid veteran who should remain on the roster as a good challenge for young fighters. I'd love to see him against Carlos Eduardo Rocha as a good test for Rocha.
Watch it now, later, or never?
Now. MacDonald may very well be the future of the division, so it's time to start paying attention.
More BE coverage of UFC 133 in the full entry.
UFC 133 Results: Vitor Belfort's Illegal Finish Met With Shocking Ignorance - Leland Roling
UFC 133 Results: Vitor Belfort's Back of the Head Shots and Nonsensical Outrage - KJ Gould
UFC 133 Results: Five Fights to Make - Mike Fagan
UFC 133: Why We Love Tito Ortiz, and Why the UFC Needs Him - Fraser Coffeen
UFC 133 Results: Where Do We Go From Here? - Matthew Roth
UFC 133: The Sweet Stench of Homophobia - Mike Fagan
UFC 133 Results: Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz Post-Fight Recap and Analysis - Mike Fagan
UFC 133 Results: Rashad Evans Stops Tito Ortiz by Punishment - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Results: Vitor Belfort Stops Yoshihiro Akiyama in the First - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Results: Brian Ebersole Beats the Pants off of Dennis Hallman - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Results: Constantinos Philippou Scores a Split Decision Over Jorge Rivera - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Results: Rory MacDonald Pounds Mike Pyle to a First Round Stoppage - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Results: Alexander Gustafsson Mauls Matt Hamill in the Second - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Results: Chad Mendes Puts On A Clinic Against Rani Yahya - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Results: Ivan Menjivar Edges a Decision Over Nick Pace - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Results: Johny Hendricks Wins the Wrestling Match against Mike Pierce - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Results: Mike Brown Outwrestles Nam Phan to a Decision Win - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Results: Rafael Natal Punishes Paul Bradley to a Decision Win - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Post-Fight Press Conference Video and Updates - Bloody Elbow
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