UFC on FOX 5 main card recap: Rory MacDonald dominates B.J. Penn en route to lopsided unanimous decision victory

Rory MacDonald continued his ascent toward title contention in the UFC’s welterweight division with a dominating performance against B.J. Penn, earning a lopsided unanimous decision victory with scores of (30-26, 30-26, 30-27).

B.J. Penn wasted little time trying to put Rory MacDonald on his back to start but failed to get the fight to the mat. With the fight staying on the feet, MacDonald went to work, using a stiff jab to control the action early in the round. He then went to his kicks, blistering the lead leg of Penn, and scoring to the body as he mixed up his striking to take a commanding lead early in the fight. MacDonald then staggered Penn with an elbow as the former champion leaned in with just under a minute to go in the opening round. As time wound down on the round MadDonald seized control of the bout going into the second.

MacDonald truly established dominance in the second round, with multiple punch and kick combinations that repeatedly found their mark. A battered Penn continued to fight back but was no match for the power and quickness of MacDonald. MacDonald continued to pour it on, peppering the body of Penn with digging left hands and kicks to the head as he put on an absolute striking clinic on the MMA legend. A late takedown by MacDonald put an exclamation mark on another dominating round.

Penn came out with a sense of urgency in the third, using his jab to close the distance and clinch. After a stall in the action on the cage, referee Herb Dean restarted the fighters in the center of the octagon. MacDonald went right back to his accurate jab, and laser straight combinations from distance. Penn kept coming forward, but the results were the same as MacDonald continued to score at will with combinations as he battered Penn to the bell.

With scores of 30-26, 30-26, and 30-27, MacDonald (14-1) improves to 5-1 in the UFC, and immediately used his time with Joe Rogan to call out Carlos Condit in his quest to avenge the only loss of his career.