Michael McDonald vs. Nick Pace set for UFC 133

It’s no secret that Michael McDonald is on everyone’s radar.

He has emerged as one of the top prospects in the bantamweight division, where at the age of 20 has already amassed two wins under the Zuffa banner. Now hoping to keep the hype alive, McDonald will next face another top prospect in Nick Pace.

The two will meet one another at UFC 133, which is rumored to take place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 6.

In his last outing, McDonald was ultra-impressive in a “Fight of the Night” performance against newcomer Edwin Figueroa. Though in the end Michael was able to outlast his opponent en route to a decision win with scores of 30-27 across the board, the fight was very competitive, with McDoanld working for takedowns and submission attempts after every round of action. Edwin, despite heading into the bout on just a little over two-weeks notice, hung tough and was able to hold his own on the feet against the heavy handed striker.

The win for Michael extended a five-fight win streak for him dating back to a TKO loss to former WEC champ Cole Escovedo, which he later avenged with a knockout of his own.

Pace is 1-1 under the Zuffa banner. A highly touted prospect, Nick was expected to make waves upon his inception into the now defunct WEC promotion when he was matched up against budding contender Demetrious Johnson. However, “Mighty Mouse” controlled the action from start to finish and in the end was awarded the unanimous decision. Nick was able to bounce back from the loss when he submitted the dynamic striker in Will Campuzano with his own patented “Pace Choke”, which is essentially a modified gogoplata/guillotine/triangle choke (yeah, it’s sketchy).

Now the two studs are set for a collision course to see who will be the “next big thing” in the 135-pound class.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the match-up? Who do you favor? Sound off in the comment section below.