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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Fresh off a highly impressive victory over Nate Diaz at UFC 129, Rory MacDonald will get right back into action this summer, as the UFC announced on Monday that he'll meet Mike Pyle at UFC 133 in August.
The 21-year-old will fight for just the second time outside of his home country of Canada, having previously fought in the United States in his UFC debut last January. MacDonald brings an 11-1 record into his fourth UFC appearance, with his sole career loss coming against Carlos Condit in a fantastic 2010 fight, where he won the first two rounds before being overwhelmed and stopped with seconds remaining in the third.
Pyle is riding a three fight win streak, and brings a 4-2 mark in his six UFC appearances. Though he was stopped in two of his first three fights in the organization - by Brock Larson on short notice and later by Jake Ellenberger - Pyle has impressed greatly in his last two outings. The 35-year-old halted the hype train of John Hathaway in England last October before sending veteran Ricardo Almeida into retirement with a hard fought decision victory at UFC 128 in March.
UFC 133 takes place from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Penn. on August 6, headlined by the light heavyweight bout between Rashad Evans and Phil Davis.
Penick's Analysis: This is an awesome welterweight fight for this card. Pyle is a legitimately difficult opponent for anyone in the division, and after his last two wins against Hathaway and Almeida is coming up the ladder in a strong way. MacDonald is a supreme talent, and as one of the youngest fighters on the UFC roster has a long future ahead of him. This is another big test and big opportunity for him after an impressive win over Nate Diaz, and this should be a fantastic fight for this card and for the fans in Philly.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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