Rising prospect Rory MacDonald (10-1) will face gritty veteran Matt Brown (13-9) on Nov. 20 at UFC 123 in a welterweight bout according Sportsnet..ca, in a potential fight of the night candidate.
MacDonald, just 21 years of age, put together an impressive, well-rounded performance against former WEC champ Carlos Condit at UFC 115 on June 12.. Although Condit scored a late, come-from-behind TKO stoppage, MacDonald established himself as a potential force in the UFC down the road.
He took the fight to Condit for two-plus rounds and, despite the loss, showed incredible toughness in absorbing a vicious ground-and-pound attack from Condit.
Although Brown’s win-loss record doesn’t look all that impressive, his strength, heavy-hands, and takedown defense make him a tough opponent for anyone.
Brown could have more on the line against MacDonald, with his three-fight UFC win streak now a distant memory thanks to back-to-back losses against Chris Lytle and Ricardo Almeida, dropping his UFC mark to 4-3.
With MacDonald’s stock rising, Brown may find himself the underdog. However, Brown has never been shy in the Octagon and I would expect him to take the fight to MacDonald, perhaps putting more offensive pressure on MacDonald right from the get go.
How MacDonald responds to that early onslaught could dictate what happens.
The UFC has not yet named a venue for the event, but will feature former light heavyweight titlists Lyoto Machida against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in the main event.