:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/11314325/20121208_pjc_sn8_469.0.jpg)
Go big or go home.
Top-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight contenders, Rory MacDonald and Jake Ellenberger, are on a 170-pound collision course, according to an official announcement this evening. Indeed, "Ares" and "Juggernaut" are will hook 'em up on the main card of UFC on Fox 8, which is scheduled for the KeyArena in Seattle, Wash., on July 27, 2013.
MacDonald returns to mixed martial arts (MMA) action after a three-round mauling of former UFC Lightweight and Welterweight champion, B.J. Penn, at UFC on Fox 5 in Dec. 2012. Currently riding a four-fight win streak, MacDonald recently had to withdraw from a scheduled bout with Carlos Condit at UFC 158 because of a neck injury (read more here).
The 170-pound Canadian heir apparent to Georges St. Pierre will look to continue his ascent to the top of the division ladder against a man who was seemingly one rung away from a championship opportunity before MacDonald's injury.
Indeed, Ellenberger was supposed to battle Johny Hendricks at UFC 158 before MacDonald was scratched, forcing the promotion to reshuffle the deck and book "Bigg Rigg" opposite Carlos Condit. Meanwhile, Ellenberger was forced to clean Nate Marquardt's clock earlier on the pay-per-view (PPV) main card.
It was a nice victory, but it didn't sit just right.
Ellenbeger is riding a two-fight win streak, and after his performance at UFC 158, he has been calling for a big fight, which he'll certainly get with MacDonald.
UFC on FOX 8 is expected to feature Flyweight champion Demetrius Johnson, defending his 125-pound title for just the second time against John Moraga. However, the only other bout more than likely to take place on the card is a 155-pound contest between Melvin Guillard against Mac Danzig.
For more on UFC on FOX 8 be sure to hit up our complete event archive right here.
Get the latest gear
