The co-main event of UFC on Fox 8 featured a battle between to top 5 Welterweights. Rory MacDonald was coming off a completely one-sided decision win over former Welterweight champ B.J. Penn. Ellenberger knocked out former Middleweight contender Nate Marquardt in his last appearance in the Octagon.
This was probably the most anticipated bout of the night. Despite the purported drama leading up to the bout, it was slow on the action. Both fighters were very wary of the other’s weapons which led to a virtual standoff. Neither fighter really got anything off, but Roy took the fight by landing his jab throughout the fight. It wasn’t until the last minute of the fight that Ellenberger landed a takedown, but it wasn’t enough to win the fight.
Rory MacDonald earned the unanimous decision over Jake Ellenberger
This was far for MacDonald’s most impressive win, but he still improved to 6-1 in the UFC and 15-1 in his career. he fought conservatively, which won’t give him any hype heading into possible contendership, but he still got the win. Ellenberger is now 1-2 facing top-ranked 170 lb. talent. Something is keeping him from breaking into the top tier of the division and he’ll need to break through that wall if he wants to be a champion.