UFC Fight Night 89 Preview
It seems like there is a constant worry in the MMA surrounding the future of the sport as it is never clear where the future is going to come from.
It seems rare that anyone sees the future of the sport coming without any real minor league to showcase the best of young talent.
Often the young talent spends most of their time fighting in small shows around the world with few fans watching them.
For all but the diehard MMA fans these small shows are invisible and the young stars in them are just as invisible.
Then even when they make their way to the bigger shows many fans won’t see them as they are buried in the undercards.
It isn’t until these stars actually arrive that most fans take notice and not until they get some key wins that everyone else begins to take notice.
Young stars need to make noise both in and out of the cage in order to rise fast and become true superstars in MMA.
That is the case in the UFC where the old guard have been starring for a very long time and continue to be the stars of the promotion to this day.
The young generation is making their way but with limited success as many run into UFC veterans that stop their momentum.
At UFC Fight Night 89 two of the younger stars in the UFC will face off in what is essentially the ascension of a potential future champion.
Rory MacDonald has been here before as he once looked like one of the rare young stars that could make an impact early in his MMA career.
MacDonald started his UFC career at only 19-years-old and immediately made an impact with people talking about the young Canadian.
He was impressive but in only his second fight he ran into veteran Carlos Condit to take his first loss.
After a good recovery, he made a run at the title until he fought Robbie Lawlor and once again a veteran handed him a loss.
All of that happened at such a young age though that MacDonald is still only 26 and is making another run at the welterweight title as an improved fighter.
In his rematch against Lawlor, MacDonald looked better than ever before and pushed the current champion to five rounds before being knocked out.
It was considered the best fight of 2015 and for that MacDonald didn’t move far from the title shot.
This time standing in his way is not a veteran though as it is another young star in the making trying to get his first run at the title finished.
Stephen Thompson has looked great since starting with only one stumble against Matt Brown so far in his career.
His awkward karate style has given veteran fighters fits including in his last fight against the former champion Johny Hendricks.
The knockout win catapulted Thompson into the title conversation with some saying he deserved the shot right away.
He is much like MacDonald only a few years ago, despite being older than
MacDonald by 7 years.
Thompson is making his first real run at the UFC title and he looks like one of the best young fighters in the UFC.
MacDonald is far from an easy out, though, as he proved against Lawlor, and there are plenty of people that want to see him fight Lawlor for the title.
When he was a young 19-year-old in the UFC he relied purely on athletic ability to get wins and it worked.
Now he is a better tactician and looks far more like teammate Georges St. Pierre who was the longest reigning welterweight titleholder in UFC history.
He looks like a better fighter and despite his loss to Lawlor, he seems ready to fight for a title sooner rather than later.
Thompson will look to take his awkward style and his confidence with wins over big names to beat MacDonald and earn a title shot after Lawlor’s next defence.
With UFC going to Ottawa for the first time the fans are sure to be behind MacDonald but in reality, they may be in store for one of the best fights of the year.
Two younger fighters trying to continue their runs through the welterweight division with plenty of talent and skill to go around.
It is sure to be a great fight and the winner might very well be the next contender for the welterweight title where they look to become the next young star in the UFC.
The Sport Addiction 