3 places Rory MacDonald could go and who he'll fight next
It's rare that a UFC fighter ranked in the top-5 of his division enters free agency, but that is the situation Rory MacDonald finds himself in.
At 26-years-old, "The Red King" is in his prime and would be an incredible asset to any promotion that acquires his services. He brings with him both name value and an outstanding skill set that makes him an immediate threat no matter where he lands.
Here are three likely destinations for MacDonald and three names that would make for compelling matchups.
ONE Championship
Who he should fight: Ben Askren
A clash with ONE Championship welterweight titleholder Ben Askren could be the motivation that MacDonald needs to move his career to Asia.
ONE is a growing property and while it doesn't have the global exposure of the UFC yet, it still represents an opportunity for MacDonald to tap into an enormous market.
MacDonald could expect to receive compensation on par with the UFC (minus PPV bonuses) and also get a chance to beat Askren, the best fighter at 170 pounds outside of North America.
Bellator MMA
Who he should fight: Michael Page
Should MacDonald leave the UFC, the most convenient landing spot would be the sport's de facto No. 2 promotion, Bellator MMA.
UFC standouts Benson Henderson and Matt Mitrione made the jump to Bellator earlier this year. They were both ranked in the top-10 of their respective divisions at the time, so there's precedent to Bellator scooping up name UFC fighters.
A matchup with Bellator welterweight titleholder Andrey Koreshkov is intriguing, but it would be more fun to throw MacDonald up against electrifying Englishman Michael Page.
So far, the 29-year-old Page has enjoyed some generous matchmaking and the result is a 10-0 record with nine of those wins coming by first-round knockout or submission.
Fans have been calling for Page to face a truly high-caliber welterweight. A fight with MacDonald would immediately raise his profile, win or lose.
UFC
Who he should fight: Johny Hendricks
The most boring (and likely) outcome is that MacDonald uses the leverage from his outside negotiations to work out a comfortable deal with his current employers.
Simply put, the UFC is synonymous with the sport of MMA and if MacDonald ever wants to be recognized as the greatest welterweight in the world, it can only happen there.
Despite his high ranking, MacDonald is far down the depth chart having lost twice to current champion Robbie Lawler. The UFC is known to hand out trilogy bouts in only the rarest of circumstances so MacDonald has a lot of work to do to rebuild his resume.
He can start with Johny Hendricks, another star who has tumbled down the rankings. The two were close to fighting when Hendricks held the welterweight belt, but now they'll be competing to stay relevant.