UFC 145 Fight Card Final Predictions: Miguel Torres vs. Michael McDonald

Michael McDonald will become a household name to MMA fans after his fight with Miguel Torres tonight.

Other than the main event between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans, Torres vs. McDonald should be the most anticipated fight at UFC 145.

For those that are unfamiliar with McDonald, he has some of the cleanest striking technique in the UFC, and he's a prospect that has made a lot of noise during his short stint in the company.

His first fight against Edwin Figueroa was not only an awesome bout between two warriors, but it gave fans a reason to keep their eyes on this young prospect. Fast-forward two victories later, and McDonald finds himself on the main card against one of the greatest bantamweights of all time.

McDonald is facing a guy in Torres that was a big reason for making World Extreme Cagefighting one of the most exciting promotions in all of combat sports. Before losing his championship belt to Brian Bowles, Torres won five WEC fights in a row, and most of those bouts were nonstop action with Torres pushing the pace.

But ever since he was knocked out by Bowles, Torres decided to change his style a bit by using his jab and fighting on the outside. With McDonald questioning his recent change in style days before this fight, one has to wonder if Torres will be tempted into getting into a slugfest with McDonald.

The outcome of this fight strictly depends on what Torres decides to do. Should he choose to play it safe and fight smart, this fight will be fun to watch and should be a back-and-forth affair, but if Torres chooses to rush in on McDonald, he's going to sleep.

McDonald's striking in the bantamweight division might very well be second to none and that's including the bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. McDonald is very technical and if Torres gets baited into throwing some wild strikes, McDonald is going to slip and rip him a new one.

For the most part, I see this fight as a close, gritty fight for the first round and most of the second, as Torres stays smart and stays with the game plan. Near the end of the second round though, Torres' inner dog will come out and he will put the pressure on McDonald.

This will leave him open for a deadly counter, and McDonald will find a home for his right hook. McDonald wins this fight by second-round TKO.