UFC Predictions: Why Rory MacDonald is a Future Champ at Welterweight

Rory MacDonald burst onto the UFC stage two years ago with much fanfare as “The Next GSP."

GSP himself said that MacDonald will be better than him, according to Joe Ferraro of sportsnet.ca.

The hype is real and the future of the division is close to becoming our present as MacDonald climbs the ladder toward the championship. MacDonald is a future welterweight champion.

Rory received the adulation because he did not come from one specific background. He showed what the future will become. A young, talented athlete who trained in MMA from day one. Not a master of one style who tried to learn and implement the rest of the tools, but a kid who was learning how to blend them all together equally from the onset of his career.

MacDonald went through his competition like a hot knife through butter leading into his second UFC fight versus current UFC Interim Welterweight Champion, Carlos Condit. And for two rounds he was winning that fight. Condit got a tired MacDonald on his back in the third and pounded until referee Kevin Dornan stepped in at 4:53 of the final frame.

The loss is what truly makes Rory MacDonald a future UFC Welterweight Champion.

When prospects fight the top talent in their division it can make or break them mentally. Despite coming up short Rory came away with a wealth of knowledge and made the adjustments he needed to one day claim gold.

After UFC 115 he changed camps and is now with Firas Zahabi and TriStar Gym.

Learning from that loss and making the transition to one of the best gyms on the map has made the 22-year-old phenom even more potent inside the Octagon.

MacDonald rebounded from the loss with a dominating decision victory over Nate Diaz. He then followed that up with an impressive showing at UFC 133 by dispatching the tough Mike Pyle in 3:54.

Now, at UFC 145 he will step inside the cage against Che Mills. A favorable style match-up for MacDonald.

If he comes out with another victory at UFC 145, he will be at the top of the division looking for a fight to put him “in the mix” as UFC President Dana White likes to say.

Of all the prospects, at 170 pounds Rory MacDonald is the clear cream of the crop. He's an exciting fighter—finishing his opponent in all but one of his 12 victories—who is on the doorstep to stardom.

He knows what it will take to defeat the top tier of UFC welterweights. And more importantly, he knows he has the ability to do it. Time waits for no man and the future is very close to becoming our present. The championship belt of the world is nearing Rory MacDonald's waist.