Rory MacDonald has been fighting as a professional Mixed Martial Arts for about five years, and has already competed in the UFC three times. MacDonald entered the world’s largest and most prestigious MMA promotion after winning nine straight fights in his native Canada. Even more impressive, all nine victories were stoppages, with five of them taking place in the first round.

MacDonald capitalized on that momentum by winning his UFC debut via first-round submission. MacDonald was then given the toughest test of his career and matched up against Carlos Condit. Condit would end up taking the TKO win with only seven seconds left in a very close fight, with many fans and insiders believing that MacDonald would have won if the fight wasn’t stopped. MacDonald recently rebounded from that loss with a pretty awesome showing against Nate Diaz, highlighted by MacDonald rag dolling and slamming/throwing Diaz several times.

MacDonald’s opponent, Mike Pyle, has been fighting since 1999 and will have his thirtieth professional fight against MacDonald. Pyle’s record stands at 21-7-1, and he’s competed in many of the best promotions around the word. Here’s just a short list of notable promotions Pyle has fought in: Shooto, WEC, IFL, Elite XC, Strikeforce, Sengoku, Affliction, and the UFC.

Currently, Pyle’s record sits at a comfortable 4-2 inside the UFC. Pyle is also riding high on a three-fight win-streak, and most-recently defeated Ricardo Almeida. It was arguably the biggest win of Pyle’s UFC career, although his win over John Hathaway came close. Much like MacDonald, Hathaway was thought of as one of the next big can’t-miss prospects, only for Pyle to put him in his place and control him thoroughly before taking home the Unanimous Decision victory.

It’s really tough to say who’s going to win this fight. In terms of “grizzled veteran vs. hot prospect” fights, it doesn’t get much more grizzled than Mike Pyle and the prospects don’t come much hotter than Rory MacDonald.

If MacDonald wants to win this fight, he can’t look past or underestimate Pyle in the way that Hathaway honestly did. When you put a veteran fighter into an underdog role, it motivates that veteran to try harder than ever and fight to his full potential. Mike Pyle may never be a UFC champion, but he’s got an amazing amount of experience and that can and has outmatched the pure, raw talent of fighters like MacDonald.

In the end, it’s going to come down to who stumbles under the pressure. Pyle is facing a sea of newcomers that are all hungry to rocket their way to the top and thus rocket their way past veterans like himself. MacDonald is facing a mountain of hype and the expectations that come with it. It should be a spectacular encounter, and a great way to start off the Pay-Per-View.

Let’s begin as we so often do: here’s all you need to know in order to fully put this fight into context.

For much of his entire life, Nate Diaz has been struggling to emerge out of the shadow of his brother. Nick Diaz is the current Strikeforce Welterweight Champion, he is currently one of the best Welterweights in the world, and Nick Diaz is arguably one of the best Pound-for-Pound fighters in the world right now. But perhaps Nate Diaz’s struggles have something to do with the quality of competition he’s faced: from virtually the moment he started fighting as a professional Mixed Martial Artist, Nate Diaz has fought some of the best fighters in the world.

Nate’s record may stand at 13-6, but just take a look at some of the fighters he’s lost to: Hermes Franca, Clay Guida, Joe Stevenson, Gray Maynard, Dong Hyun Kim. Let’s not forget that Diaz has been in the main event of at least three “Fight Night Live” shows, all of which had his name as the marquee attraction. Diaz has scored big victories both at Lightweight and Welterweight, with wins over the likes of Marcus Davis, Melvin Guillard, Kurt Pellegrino, and more.

His opponent, Rory MacDonald, is a native-born Canadian that fought nine times in his country before debuting in the UFC in Virginia, back at “UFC Fight Night 20”. MacDonald was invited into the Octagon after posting up a flawless record of 9-0 with nine stoppages: five submissions, two TKO’s, and two KO’s. MacDonald immediately impressed in his UFC debut, scoring a first-round submission win over Mike Guymon.

At UFC 115, MacDonald would face the toughest test of his career: Carlos Condit, one of the most-dominant Welterweight fighters in the history of the WEC promotion. At the time of their bout, Condit was coming off of a very close Split Decision win against Jake Ellenberger. Unfortunately for MacDonald, the old Carlos Condit would come roaring back to life the moment the Octagon door closed: after three intense rounds that earned both men a “Fight of the Night” bonus, Condit would TKO MacDonald with only seven seconds left in the third and final round.

When I look at this fight, I think it’s obvious that someone is going to get dropped and stopped. Whether they get dropped by a submission or due to strikes is anyone’s guess, as is whether the stoppage is from a (T)KO or submission.

And while my prediction for this fight may be a sign of blatant favoritism, don’t forget that I’m an MMA fan first and foremost and I’m allowed to have my favorites. With that said, I think we’ve only begun to see Nate Diaz’s true potential. He still has problems against dominant wrestlers, but Rory MacDonald is more of a brawler/submission specialist. In a way, he’s a lot like Nate Diaz. But there is only one Nate Diaz, and I truly think that Diaz has better striking and definitely a better ground game.

But no matter what happens, this should end up being an all-out war between two very entertaining fighters. I can’t wait for this fight to happen.

So it’s seven down and five to go, fans and friends. Be sure to keep tuning in as I delve ever-deeper into the UFC 129 fight card. But for now: what do you think about this fight?

The brash Stockton native will be competing in the 170-pound class for just the fourth-time in his near seven-year career as a professional mixed martial artist when he’ll be taking on the welterweight prospect in Rory. Diaz hopes to bounce back from a disappointing, yet competitive, decision loss to contender Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 124 last December.

However before he has the opportunity to get back on the winning track, he must first deal with the Canadian authorities, as Diaz will have to fill out some hefty paper work before “the man” will let Diaz cross the border.

The Cesar Gracie protege hinted at the troubles bestowed upon him earlier this week when the season five winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” took to twitter to vent his frustrations.

“Can someone tell Canada to quit trippin and let me up in there I’m tryin to get paid..[sic]“, said Diaz.

Later, the aforementioned Gracie took to the media (MMAJunkie.com) to discuss the issues surrounding his fighter which stem from a 2006 altercation in which Diaz was charged with disturbing the peace. A small offense, however it’s been enough for Nate to have to cross some more t’s and dot some more i’s prior to his return to Canada.

However, Cesar assured everyone that while the procedures are tedious, they will not prevent Nate from competing opposite of MacDonald.

Sound off in the comment section below.

Though the Canadian is coming off of a loss, the first of his career, against former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit, he looked impressive throughout the three-round affair, holding his own against the dangerous Greg Jackson product on the feet, and looked to be edging on the judges score cards before Carlos was able to capitalize on a fatigued Rory, mount him, then finish him off with strikes for the TKO win.

Now, the welterweight spitfire hopes to add the name “Diaz” to his mantle of opponents, and should he be successful, would that signal the end for the glorified 170-pounder’s run and prompt Nate back to the lightweight class?

Nate, one half of the infamous Diaz brother’s headed by older sibling Nick Diaz–the Strikeforce welterweight champion, is scheduled to return to the octagon for “UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields” in Toronto, Canada where against MacDonald he will undoubtedly be billed the villain on April 30.

The Stockton native is coming off of a decision loss to the unbeaten Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 125 on Jan. 1. Though he was competitive throughout, and stole the third and final round, Diaz ultimately fell prey to Kim’s stifling top game, which came courtesy of his Judo black belt. Takedowns proved to be the difference maker as the fight progressed, and Kim did an excellent job shucking off any submission attempts from the lanky Cesar Gracie protege.

It wouldn’t be the first-time that Diaz has been out grappled inside the cage, though he has recorded 6 of his 8 UFC victories by way of submission. The weakest part of Nate’s game has always been his wrestling, where he has been exposed in the past by Clay Guida and Joe Stevenson, though both men have been perennial contenders in the lightweight class.

But if Diaz should suffer the same fate as a welterweight, why should he give his opponents the advantage? Granted there are talented wrestlers in all divisions, when you add 20-plus pounds into the equation, the bigger man will almost always win.

His career in the 155-pound division wasn’t a total wash. The 25-year-old racked up a 6-3 record in the lightweight class, however ultimately jumped up to welterweight following a somewhat controversial loss, a split decision, to Gray Maynard.

If Nate’s ego allows it, here’s me casting my vote for the submission ace to move back down to 155, and make a run at this thing. It’s almost basic math. 50% of the time, you can expect Diaz to put in a “Fight of the Night” effort, as he has pulled 6 bonuses throughout his UFC tenure–4 FON’s, and 2 “Submission of the Night” awards.

Once his wrestling catches up with his already impressive boxing and Jiu-Jitsu skills, there’s no telling where Diaz could go, but will it be at the expense of suffering another loss, to a 21-year-old no less? Or am I wrong? What do you think, MMA peeps? Sound off in the comment section below.

The pay-per-view event is scheduled to take place at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and features a welterweight match up pitting reigning champion Georges St. Pierre defending his title against the top contender and former Strikeforce champ in Shields.

And while that particular 170-pound contest may be the highlight of the evening, do not over look Nate Diaz as he will be taking on top-prospect Rory MacDonald on the same card, most likely to be featured on the main card.

Sherdog.com reported the bout earlier with sources close to the fighters. Diaz was last seen in action when he lost a spirited decision to top contender Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 125. Though his jiu-jitsu skills kept him out of any immediate danger, Kim’s overall top game control carried him to the decision win. Now, Nate loses for the first time since moving up to the welterweight division after leaving any lightweight implication’s behind, though he hopes to return to 155 sometimes in the future. But apparently, not anytime soon as Diaz will now face top prospect Rory MacDonald.

Rory, the former King of the Cage lightweight and welterweight champion, will be looking to comeback from a disappointing loss to now top contender Carlos Condit last June. Undefeated up until that point, Rory was getting the better of the former WEC champ when the two welterweights squared off at UFC 115 in Rory’s own backyard in British Columbia. However, after an exciting two rounds turned in, MacDonald’s fatigue got the better of him and Carlos was able to notch up a TKO win after working the Canadian to the ground and unleashing a barrage of elbows and punches.

Before the loss, Rory made a successful debut defeating longtime veteran Mike Guymon with a first-round armbar in January of 2010.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the new match up? MacDonald was originally slated to face James Wilks, however I’m glad the organization opted for this match up instead. Who do you think will win? Sound off in the comment section below.

Read on for questions 2-7…

2. How will Carlos Condit fight in the first round vs. Dan Hardy?  Why is this important? Because, “The Natural Born Killer” has been extremely slow to get going in his last two fights vs. Jake Ellenberger and Rory MacDonald, needing big comebacks to pull victory from the jaws of defeat.  Against Hardy, if he is slow to fire, he may never get his chance in the third round, instead falling prey to Hardy’s heavy hands.

3. Has Dan Hardy truly developed a sturdy takedown defense?  I am interested to see, not how good his wrestling and Jiu Jitsu have become once on the mat … I want to see if he has improved his takedown defense.  This is the most important element in his growth. No matter how good he gets on the ground, his bread and butter will always be his standup.  His long-term success requires he keep fights standing against all the great wrestlers he will face going forward.  He needs to stay on his feet to leverage his greatest asset.  Chuck Liddell is the best example of this.  He became a master at stopping takedowns to keep fights in his sweet spot.

4. Can Michael Bisping finally deliver a thrilling offensive performance from start to finish?  In his last several fights we have seen a tentative, strategic Bisping unable or unwilling to let all his artillery fly.  He needs to win, first, but then be exciting to capture back the idea that he is title contender worthy, provided he keeps winning.  UFC suits would love for him to thrill so they can leverage his UK fan base and keep growing “The Count” into an international star.

5. Will Yoshihiro Akiyama display the crisp and crunching standup weapons we saw in the first three minutes of his fight against Chris Leben?  This version of “Sexyama” should be able to dispatch the UK’s Michael Bisping.

6. Will Mike Pyle finally show the UFC a dominating performance?  Pyle has long been lauded as one of the more talented mixed martial artists in the game to those around the sport. He has been a core cog in team Randy Couture and a Couture MMA trainer in Las Vegas.  However, his UFC performances have been hot and cold.  He has impressive career wins against Jon Fitch, Dan Hornbuckle, Shonie Carter, and Matt Horwich, but has gone 2-2 in the UFC alternating wins and losses recently.  Yes he beat Fitch, and not only did he beat him way back in 2002, but is the only man to ever submit the UFC welterweight star.  I have a gut feeling on Pyle at UFC 120 that he is ready to let loose a decisive performance.

7. Has Cheick Kongo diversified his MMA tool kit?  Before losing to Cain Velasquez, Cheick Kongo had started 7-2 in the UFC and was on a three fight win streak and starting to be in title discussion.  But the losses to Velasquez and Frank Mir set him back into more of grizzled seasoned veteran role.  Can he start another run?  Has he evolved to a new level?  We shall see in his fight against Travis Browne.

Headlining the nights festivities will be former light heavyweight champions Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida in a non-title bout, with a trilogy between former welterweight champions Matt Hughes and BJ Penn being completed that night, serving as the co-main event of the evening.

Prior to these bouts, a pair of middleweights and 170-pound fighters will be in action as part of the Spike TV special, which will have the potential to reach 96.1 million people at home in these United States.

MMAJunkie.com has indicated that match ups between middleweights Mark Munoz vs Aaron Simpson, and Matt Brown vs Rory MacDonald, will serve as the two bouts selected for the Spike broadcast.

Munoz, a heavy handed wrestler is coming off the sting of his first defeat in the middleweight division, where he lost a close split-decision to top contender Yushin Okami. The Japanese star brought it to the former NCAA champion early and often, dropping Munoz on one occasion and stuffing all of his take down attempts. Mark hung tough, and even managed to wobble Okami to the ground and pressured him with his improved stand up arsenal. In the end it wasn’t enough, and Munoz saw a three-fight win streak snapped with the loss.

Aaron, meanwhile, is coming off a loss as well, his first as a professional mixed martial artist. A two-time NCAA champion in 96′ and 98′, became an assistant wrestling coach for Arizona State, where he initially compiled 110 victories for the university.

There, he coached the likes of UFC standouts CB Dollaway, Ryan Bader, and current UFC heavyweight number one contender, Cain Velasquez. Being bit by the biting bug, Aaron opened up to the idea of fighting as a living in 2007, and compiled a perfect 4-0 before joining the UFC. Going on to garner a three-fight win streak within the promotion, his run was snapped when Simpson met with Chris Leben at “The Ultimate Fighter” season 11 finale, losing by TKO in the second round.

Both Rory MacDonald and Matt Brown are coming off losses as well. The Canadian shined though, in his bout against former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit, last June at UFC 115. Arguably ahead on the score cards going into the third round after getting the better of the stand up against Condit, Rory was notably fatigued in the final round. Carlos was eventually able to work the fight to the floor, eventually mounting the former King of the Cage lightweight and welterweight champion, pounding him out for a TKO victory in waning moments of the fight. Prior to the loss, MacDonald made a successful debut into the organization with a first-round arm bar over fellow KOTC veteran Mike Guymon at “UFC Fight Night 20″ in January of this year.

Brown, however is feeling the sting of defeat well and hard. The former contender is coming on the heels of two consecutive losses, submissions at that, to standouts Ricardo Almedia and most recently current top contender Chris Lytle.

In the bout with Lytle at UFC 116, which was the second in the series, the two traded blows early, Brown effective on the feet, the welterweight battle found its way to the floor in the early stages of the second round. Both fighters were jockeying for position, and Lytle was eventually able to secure an arm, and completed the bout ends with an arm bar victory over Brown.

Prior to the losses to Ricardo and Chris, Brown was riding a three-fight win streak in the organization and four of his last five overall. However now on the cusp of his UFC career, this is a must-win situation for both Brown and MacDonald. A loss for either could spell pink slips, which can also be said of Munoz and Simpson.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the UFC 123 prelims? Worthy? Do you have any other bouts in mind as far as what you would rather see in place of said matches? Sound off in the comments section below.

The UFC just made official today the fight card, which will include a headlining bout pitting former light heavyweight champions Quinton Jackson versus Lyoto Machida, in a contenders bout.

Also on the card, BJ Penn and Matt Hughes try to settle the score once again when the two competitors meet for the third time. Both men have split victories, BJ Penn getting the better of the “farm boy” at UFC 46, where he was able to slip in a rear naked choke and claim the welterweight title from then champion Hughes. Matt, meanwhile, got a little bit of a taste of revenge when he was able to pound out the former lightweight star (at the time) inside of three rounds.

While no animosity exists, according to the two competitors, there is a healthy rivalry that has carried over the last 6 years of their lives, and this will give them the chance to settle the score once and for all. Hughes is riding a 3 fight win streak inside the crowded 170-pound division where he is slowly sneaking ahead of. Most recently, he continued the streak when he put to sleep Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Ricardo Almeida, with a modified guillotine win over. The victory at UFC 117 las August, was perhaps one of Hughes’ most impressive in recent years.

BJ, mean while has been on a slope, dropping his last two contests in the lightweight division, with decision losses to current champion Frankie Edgar.

Here is the card as follows: formatted by MMAJunkie.oom

MAIN CARD

* Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida
* Matt Hughes vs. B.J. Penn
* Maiquel Falcao vs. Gerald Harris
* Tim Boetsch vs. Phil Davis
* Joe Lauzon vs. George Sotiropoulos

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Mark Munoz vs. Aaron Simpson
* Matt Brown vs. Rory MacDonald
* Dennis Hallman vs. Karo Parisyan
* Darren Elkins vs. Edson Barboza
* Paul Kelly vs. Gabe Ruediger
* Nik Lentz vs. Tyson Griffin

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the card? If you are in the Detroit/Auburn Hills area, I highly suggest you make an effort to catch the event live. Who do you think will take which bout? Sound off in the comments section below.

MMAWeekly and MMAJunkie have both been able to confirm the welterweight clash–which was originally reported by Sportsnet.ca.

The match up is what would be considered a definite early candidate for “Fight of the Night”, since both competitors have demonstrated vaunted technical prowess and aggressive approaches in every fight they enter.

MacDonald, a former King of the Cage champion in both the lightweight and welterweight divisions made his promotional debut at “UFC: Fight Night 20″ last January, against fellow KOTC veteran Michael Guymon, finishing him up with a first round arm bar.

His following performance, a loss to the aforementioned Condit at UFC 115 in Vancouver, opened up a lot of eyes, even in a losing effort–Rory was able to impress.

Now he meets wild man, Matt “The Immortal” Brown. After running a three-fight win streak after appearing in the seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, Brown hit road blocks in division standouts Ricardo Almedia and then Chris Lytle most recently at UFC 116 in Matt’s last appearance, where he lost via arm bar.

It’s likely due or die for both competitors, as two in row can signal the end for nearly any fighter in the UFC, and three is an almost guarantee pink slip for Brown.

So, who do you think prevails in this scrappy, welterweight match?