UFC 145: 7 Things to Expect in Rory MacDonald's Return

After suffering an injury leading up to his bout with Brian Ebersole at UFC 140, Rory "Ares" MacDonald was removed from the card by UFC President Dana White.

MacDonald is in the process of making his return to the Octagon: He'll take on Che Mills on March 24th at UFC 145.

Over the course of his young career, MacDonald has often been referred to as the future of the welterweight division.

In fact, many believe he is a miniature Georges St-Pierre.

Fans can expect to see a better than ever MacDonald when he makes his long awaited return to UFC 145 in just a few short months.

The following slides display seven things to expect in Rory MacDonald's return.

Let's take a look.

Speed

At just 22 years of age, Rory MacDonald has used his speed to overwhelm many of his past opponents, ultimately allowing him to set the pace for the entire fight.

MacDonald will be taking on a Mills—who is fairly quick in his own right—as he's been victorious in his last five fights.

Fans can expect to see MacDonald use his speed to gain points from the judge's scorecards.

Takedowns

As we're all well aware, MacDonald has been seen as a future St-Pierre due to his well-established takedown attack.

In fact, MacDonald has taken down every opponent he's fought inside the Octagon—including seven times against Nate Diaz at UFC 129.

Mills better display effective takedown defense if he wants to survive with MacDonald.

Ring Rust

While every fan and viewer present at UFC 145 will be expecting the same flashy MacDonald, that may not be the case right away.

In fact, it could be up to a full round until MacDonald finally begins to settle down. It will be the first time he'll take part in competition in nearly eight months.

However, MacDonald will surely settle down as time progresses in the fight.

Effective Striking Defense

Not only has MacDonald never been taken down, but he's only been out-struck once in his career—resulting in his lone defeat to Carlos Condit at UFC 115.

MacDonald will be taking on an opponent in Mills, who will want to remain in the standup as he hasn't demonstrated an effective ground game.

However, MacDonald is exceptional on his feet and should have no problem shedding off Mills' series of strikes.

Kicks

As we've seen in his previous fights, MacDonald isn't exactly a fighter you'd refer to as a one-trick pony.

MacDonald's hype has come from his well-rounded skill set: He has the skills to feel comfortable in nearly every area of a fight.

Mills has yet to face an opponent with better kicks than that of MacDonald.

A Victory

It's clear that MacDonald is an up-and-coming welterweight in the UFC today.

However, the UFC is making the right move by not pushing MacDonald up the rankings too fast. He'll need to develop more before he can face the meat of the 170-pound weight division.

It's likely Mills will be a stepping stone for MacDonald—he shouldn't have any problem being declared victorious in his return to the Octagon.

A Finish

Not only will MacDonald be declared victorious in his first fight in nearly eight months, but he'll do it in an entertaining way.

In fact, MacDonald has awaited a judge's decision just one time in his career as he's been involved in a finishing fight on 12 different occasions.

It's likely MacDonald will put his opponent on his back and submit him. Mills has lost three times by submission up until this point in his career. 

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