By Neil Davidson
THE CANADIAN PRESS
There’s a new young gun in the UFC and he’s Canadian — 20-year-old welterweight Rory (The Waterboy) MacDonald.
The mixed martial arts fighter from Kelowna, B.C., believed to be the youngest on the UFC’s roster, has signed a four-bout deal. He is expected to make his debut Jan. 11 on a televised Ultimate Fight Night card against Michael (The Joker) Guymon in Fairfax, Va.
MacDonald (9-0) finished out his King of the Cage Canada contract with a second-round KO of former light-heavyweight Nick Hinchcliffe on Sept. 25 and the UFC wasted little time snapping him up. The organization rarely goes after such young fighters but believes this one has the skills to survive among more experienced sharks.
“He’s a young kid but he’s quite the talent,” said David Lea, MacDonald’s coach and manager at Kelowna’s Toshido Mixed Martial Arts Academy.
MacDonald has four knockouts and five submissions to his credit and none of his opponents have made it past the second round.
“When he started with me, he didn’t even know how to throw a punch,” Lea said. “He’s been built from the ground up, sort of the new evolution of MMA fighter. He’s very well-rounded. He’s very dangerous on his feet and equally dangerous on the ground.”
Born in Quesnel, MacDonald was 14 when he started training with Lea. He had his first pro fight at 16, with his parents having to give their approval to do so. Even then, only a few athletic commissions would sanction the youngster.
“People kept saying at 16 there was no way he could compete but he was leaving 20-year-olds in tears,” said Lea, who believes MacDonald is “the next Canadian MMA superstar.”
He won the King of the Cage Canadian lightweight title at 18 — in his sixth fight — and defeated Clay French in his next outing a year later to win the King of the Cage world 155-pound title. French is a member of Matt Hughes H.I.T. Squad camp.
Thanks to a growth spurt, MacDonald then moved up to welterweight and has won both fights since as a 170-pounder.
“He really had an awful lot of quickness but he’s gained a lot of strength and definitely at welterweight he’s a monster,” Lea said. “It’ll be a good weight for him.”
Having graduated from high school, MacDonald now trains full time. And he has already worked with the best, spending time in UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre’s camp earlier this year.
His nickname The Waterboy refers to the Adam Sandler film. Like Sandler’s character in the movie, MacDonald apparently does not react well to anyone who tries to take liberties with him.
Guymon (11-2-1) is also a UFC newcomer who holds the King of The Cage world welterweight title. MacDonald was offered a shot at that title but elected to turn it down because of his UFC aspirations.
“It’s kind of interesting because it’s a fight that could have happened in King of the Cage but both of them have now been elevated to put this fight on in the UFC,” said Lea.
MacDonald was seven when Tito Ortiz, who is slated to fight at UFC 106 in November, made his UFC debut at UFC 13 in May 1997.
