Rory MacDonald has suffered a blow after it was revealed that he won’t be getting the next shot at new welterweight champion Robbie Lawler after all.
Dana White had confirmed MacDonald as next in line to fight the winner of the Lawler Vs Johny Hendricks rematch just a couple of months ago following three wins in a row against Demain Maia, Tryon Woodley and Tarec Saffiedine left him ranked No.2 in the division.
However, the UFC’s plans now appear to have changed with MacDonald’s snub being confirmed on yesterdays edition of the ‘UFC Tonight’ show on FOX Sports 1.
While no reason has been given for the decision it more than likely indicates that the UFC now plans to proceed directly into a trilogy fight between Lawler and Hendricks after their latest encounter at UFC 181 earlier this month ended by split decision.
It’s a slightly surprising choice from the UFC however as while the 10 rounds of fighting so far between the top two competitors in the division has been extremely compelling to watch, there’s not a great deal of clamour amongst fans to see a rubber match between them also take place within what’s likely to be the space of a single 12 month period.
MacDonald also went to a split decision verdict with Lawler back in 2013, but there’s been enough water under the bridge since then that this seemed like the logical fight to make next with Hendricks potentially taking another bout in the meantime with a view to him going up against the winner.
Still, the 25 year-old MacDonald appears to be taking the news in his stride, commenting that, “It’s all good. I’m just gonna light up whoever is next.”
