The future came and went Saturday night, maybe out of the Octagon for good. Rory MacDonald was supposed to be the heir to Georges St-Pierre, the next-generation MMA star who would show the sport how its new army of youth could evolve it. Instead, there is a new wonder in town, another reminder there is nothing as dangerous as a specialist who rounds out his game.
Stephen Thompson proved it again at UFC Fight Night 89, outworking and out-thumping MacDonald in the evening’s headliner.
These are men going in two very different directions. Thompson going up, up and away like a certain superhero who seems unbreakable, MacDonald with a shattered nose, a second consecutive loss and perhaps one foot out the door.
For “Wonderboy,” a title fight has to be next. A seven-fight win streak is difficult in the UFC; doing it in the welterweight division—historically the most competitive in the UFC—is close to impossible. Yet here he stands with consecutive wins over MacDonald, Johny Hendricks and Jake Ellenberger, among others.
Following his decimation of former champion Hendricks, there were suspicions Thompson might vault past the rest of the division and into a title shot. Thompson and his team lobbied for it, but the UFC went into this strange direction, throwing him back in the contender pool against an opponent who had just competed for the belt a year prior.
It was a calculated risk for both Thompson and the UFC, because MacDonald, who was coming into the match on the last bout of his contract and ranked as the top contender, could have won and then bolted the promotion, leaving the division in a lurch. It must be said that everything worked out for the first two parties.
UFC now has negotiation leverage on MacDonald, and it has Thompson teed up, likely to wait for the winner of UFC 201’s title bout between champ Robbie Lawler and challenger Tyron Woodley.
Rarely do top contenders voice a preference for a specific opponent. Thompson did.
“I would rather fight Robbie Lawler, and I think Robbie Lawler's going to win it," Thompson said in the post-fight press conference. "He’s stayed active and Woodley hasn’t. He maybe will have some cage rust. Tyron has been known to slow down, and Lawler gets stronger as the rounds go. I see Robbie Lawler winning that fight and would love to fight him hopefully in New York City (UFC 205), and yeah, I think Robbie Lawler will be the guy.”
Thompson-Lawler would certainly be the more aesthetically pleasing fight for most. Lawler is a master of hands, a stone-fisted stoic who would probably have a hard time backing down from any kind of firefight. Most likely, he’ll flash his devious smile and partake in a style that is not just most conducive to himself, but to Thompson, too.
And what we’re learning as Thompson’s career goes on is that kind of approach is generally a mistake.
Thompson is a master at this stand-up game in a way few others can boast. He has intuitive spatial awareness, he’s in constant motion, he switches stances and he’s accurate. He’s brilliant at keeping opponents outside of striking range with kicks and drilling them when they attempt to breach the void. With him, an opponent is either too far away or in no man’s land.
Years ago when MacDonald led the vanguard of MMA-first newcomers, we were fed the belief their well-roundedness would dominate. What we’re finding is that a sword is often more valuable than a Swiss Army knife. A fighter can be great at one thing and good enough at everything else and compete at a very high level, as long as he can funnel everything to his strength.
Thompson is currently teaching a masterclass in that approach.
MacDonald did attempt to attack through unconventional means, several times diving at Thompson’s feet hunting for leg locks. Every time, Thompson pulled free. Aside from a fifth round where MacDonald acknowledged his scorecard deficit and threw caution to the wind to put himself in the danger zone—an approach that led to a broken nose, he said in the post-fight presser—it was his only real dedicated push for offense.
“What I was surprised with was that he wasn’t rushing in,” MacDonald said in the post-fight press conference. “He was picking his shots. The distance was very challenging. I felt like I could’ve bridged the gap a little better. I’m gonna work on that. That distance was a big factor. I was unsuccessful with the takedowns. I thought I would’ve been more successful with takedowns and clinching.”
While Thompson almost certainly has a date with the owner of shiny gold belt ahead of him, MacDonald’s future has gone completely hazy.
For him, everything about the fight was a risk. The longtime UFC star went into the bout with an expiring contract, knowing his future value would be determined by the result. With a win, he would have held on to his current No. 1 contender ranking as he hit the open market, an enviable position in a sport where young and peaking athletes rarely reach free agency. Instead, with the loss, he can no longer call his shot. Moreover, he can expect some promoters to price him down as damaged goods following consecutive losses.
MacDonald is still just 26 years old, and after almost a year on the sidelines, it wouldn’t take much convincing for most to believe ring rust may have played a role, but Thompson’s style was certainly as significant a factor.
To prepare for Thompson’s funky offensive rhythms, MacDonald imported American kickboxer Raymond Daniels, a flashy, fast striker who almost a decade ago faced Thompson during Chuck Norris’ short-lived World Combat League.
The awkwardness of the fight was furthered by the fighters’ shared history. Years ago, when Georges St-Pierre still ruled the welterweight division, Thompson was brought in as a training partner. Of course, MacDonald was training at St-Pierre’s foot, and all three became friends. This fight booking was uncomfortable from the get-go.
Now they go their own ways. MacDonald's once-beaming future is now filled with questions. He will heal his nose and figure out what's next. And Thompson? There is no doubt about his next destination. The only question is will he or won't he win gold.
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