A welterweight rematch between fast-rising star Rory “Ares” MacDonald and former UFC title challenger “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit is now in the works for UFC 158 on March 16, 2013 in Montréal, Québec, Canada. MMAjunkie.com first reported on plans for the targeted matchup today.
MacDonald and Condit first faced off at UFC 115 in June 2010. MacDonald dominated much of the opening two rounds before Condit rallied back and secured a TKO win with seven seconds remaining in the fight. MacDonald campaigned for the rematch after defeating B.J. Penn this past weekend.
MacDonald (14-1-0) has bounced back with impressive victories in each of his past four fights since falling to Condit in 2010. After 2011 triumphs over Nate Diaz and Mike Pyle, MacDonald stopped Che Mills at UFC 145 in April. He was then matched up against former two-division UFC champion Penn and earned a dominant Unanimous Decision victory this past weekend at UFC on FOX 5. Following his win over Penn, MacDonald requested a rematch with Condit and stated that Condit had humiliated him in the pair’s first fight. MacDonald’s wish appears to have been granted and the 23-year-old will likely face off against Condit for a second time in March.
Condit (28-6-0) suffered a razor-thin Split Decision loss in his April 2009 UFC debut, but the former WEC Welterweight Champion fought his way back into title contention with wins in each of his next four fights, including in the bout with MacDonald in MacDonald’s home province of British Columbia. After UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre suffered a knee injury, Condit battled Nick Diaz for the interim welterweight title in February and walked away with a Unanimous Decision victory. He returned to the cage this past month to challenge St. Pierre for the undisputed title, but St. Pierre survived a strong third round from Condit and retained his belt with a five-round decision win.
While the MacDonald-Condit fight will be pivotal to both fighters’ careers, it also creates an interesting situation within the welterweight division. Should MacDonald prevail in the rematch, it appears unlikely that he will be willing to face his teammate, St. Pierre, for the UFC Welterweight Championship. If Condit is able to defeat MacDonald for a second time, he will most likely remain at least one or two wins away from a rematch with St. Pierre for the title.
UFC 158 is expected to take place on March 16, 2013, at Bell Centre in Montréal, Québec, Canada.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)