After two years out due to injury woes, bantamweight fighter Michael McDonald is finally set to return to the Octagon at UFC 195 where he’ll face Masanori Kanehara.
McDonald was last seen in December of 2013, losing by submission to Urijah Faber in the co-main event of UFC On FOX 9 and has since been battling a string of injury issues including a long-term problem with his right hand that’s now finally healed.
Still just 24 years old, despite McDonald’s long absence from the sport he holds a 16-3 record overall in the sport and fought for the 135lb title against Renan Barao in February of 2013.
With wins over the likes of Brad Pickett, Miguel Torres, Alex Soto and Chris Cariaso, McDonald still holds down the No.8 spot on the bantamweight rankings and he’ll now be looking to fight his way back to the top of the division.
Standing in his way is the 32 year-old Kanehara who is 1-1 in the promotion so far, debuting with a win over Alex Caceras before losing out by split decision against Rani Yahya back in July.
UFC 195 takes place on January 2nd in Las Vegas and will be headlined by a welterweight title fight between Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit, while a heavyweight encounter between Andrei Arlovski and Stipe Miocic is expected to serve as the co-main event.
