Welterweight contenders Rory MacDonald, Tarec Saffiedine meet in Halifax main event
Another welterweight contender fight. Another five-round main event.
Rory MacDonald will meet Tarec Saffiedine in the headliner of UFC Fight Night on Oct. 4 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, the UFC announced Thursday. MacDonald is currently ranked No. 2 among welterweight contenders and Saffiedine is No. 10.
A win in this fight could lead to a title shot for MacDonald (17-2). The Vancouver-area native and Montreal resident has won two straight after falling to No. 1 contender Robbie Lawler last November. Overall, "Ares" has won seven of his last eight fights. MacDonald, 25, beat Tyron Woodley by unanimous decision in the co-main event of UFC 174 on May 31, putting him in the thick of the 170-pound title conversation.
Saffiedine (15-3) hasn't been nearly as active. His last fight, and UFC debut, came back in January, a dominant unanimous decision win over Hyun Gyu Lim in January. Before that, he had not fought since January 2013, when he won the Strikeforce welterweight title from Nate Marquardt. Saffiedine, 27, was supposed to fight Jake Ellenberger in May, but had to withdraw due to injury.
This is the only bout announced so far for UFC Fight Night on Oct. 4. It'll be the UFC's first trip to Halifax and there is also another event that same day in Sweden.
