Top Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight contender, Rory MacDonald, got a round of high-fives and a couple of bro-hugs following his unanimous decision win over Jake Ellenberger last Saturday night in the co-meh event of UFC on FOX 8 from the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington.
After all, he fought a "great fight."
True, no one in "Emerald City" was awake to see it -- including UFC President Dana White -- but fellow Tristar teammate and UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre was glowing with praise, while also shutting down "The Juggernaut" for not being in a "Rush" to engage.
GSP gives it to The Canadian Press (via TSN):
"He shouldn't care about the critics. You don't brawl with a brawler. It was up to Ellenberger to open up and take more risk because he was losing and he didn't. Rory fought a great fight and even made it look relatively easy."
As for the finish? I guess he didn't "feel it," and therefore didn't "grab it."
The general consensus in the mixed martial arts (MMA) community is that both fighters share the blame. MacDonald was in the driver's seat the entire fight, but made very little effort to capitalize on his control of the stand up. By comparison, Ellenberger failed to exhibit any sense of urgency, despite trailing on points, and seemed content to play a 15-minute game of patty cake.
It's not the promotion's first humdrum affair, nor will it be its last, but the performances stick out like a sore thumb thanks to a pair of electric finishes elsewhere on the card (see them here and here), along with this barnburner.
Where "Ares" goes from here remains to be seen, but last weekend's tepid performance proves this forward-looking banter was a bit premature.
For more results and reactions from last weekend's UFC on FOX 8 event click here.