Welterviktaren Rory MacDonald förbereder sig inför matchen mot Tyron Woodley vid UFC 174 den 14 juni, och är nu säker på att han kommer att vinna. Efter tidigare förluster i sin jakt på titeln tror Rory nu att han har det som krävs för att lyckas. Det här säger han, via MMAJunkie:
I definitely feel like I’m hitting my stride now this year. My focus is at an all-time high, and I couldn’t be happier. Ranked as the No. 2 contender or whatever in the world, it’s very exciting for me.
I have a handful of techniques that will work really well against that style of fighter. I’m very pleased to be matched up with him, and I’m very confident in winning that fight. I’ll be in good shape for that fight, very focused and very hungry for the victory.
Coachen Firas Zahabi säger också att han tror MacDonald kan lyckas och att det handlar om att att klara sig genom de första och mest intensiva minuterna med Woodley. Det här säger Zahabi:
Guy’s who are just very fast aren’t very fast for super long. Explosive guys – it’s a give and take. If you’re slow you usually have great gas. If you’re fast, usually you don’t. The first round is the most dangerous, so we have to get Rory into the second and third round and really let Rory push the pace.
You got to hurt a guy like Woodley. If you don’t hurt him, he’s going to hurt you. You got to be the first one to hurt him and put him on defense. Tyron’s offense is so strong that you have to keep him on defense.
Om MacDonald vinner kan han bli den första som får möta Johny Hendricks sedan han vann titeln, då Hendricks förnärvarande återhämtar sig från en bicep-operation och hoppas på att komma tillbaka i september eller november. Det här säger MacDonald om Hendricks:
When I beat Woodley, hopefully [I get a title shot] in the fall or winter in Toronto or Montreal. Hendricks is a great fighter. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s definitely a good fighter, and I’m excited to see him in the future.
I’m striving to be a champion in the welterweight division. I don’t want to fill Georges’ shoes. That’s an impossible task. I don’t want to be Georges. I want to be myself. I want to represent my style of martial arts and my own personality.
Georges was probably the greatest champion ever, and he’s been a great person for me to learn from, train beside and watch fight over the years. He’s a model for Canadian fighters, and I just hope I can be as dominant as him in the cage.
Skrivet av Per Posch.
