Rory MacDonald ready for UFC 145; credits GSP and Tri-Star gym

Rory MacDonald will be fighting in the highest-profile bout of his career when he steps into the cage on Saturday in Atlanta. He will face Che Mills in the co-main event of UFC 145, looking to prove that he is indeed the future of the Welterweight division. Surrounded by a large amount of hype, the 22-year-old MacDonald finds himself with a record of 12-1 and would seem to have confidence past his years. When asked about his next opponent, he responded:

“I really don’t know all that much about him, that’s how I like it, the less I know the better. I normally don’t do a lot of research or watch a lot of video of my opponents past fights. I just kind of react to what I see in front of me. All I can do is worry about myself and making sure that I am in shape and prepared for anything and everything. My coaches are the ones who set-up my game plan and they train me accordingly. I can tell you that he is a kickboxer and that’s about it to be honest with you. It doesn’t matter to me if I’m in the main event or co-main event or on the undercard it’s still a fight. I don’t let the pressure get to me.” – via fightline.com

MacDonald is seemingly very relaxed heading into his bout with Che Mills, who has only one previous appearance in the Octagon, knocking out Chris Cope in his debut. MacDonald is prepared to battle a kickboxer, and is believes he is well-prepared for any situation, citing his excellent training at the TriStar Gym in Montreal, Quebec:

“I began training with Tri-Star in August of last year. I trained here part time, but I moved here and began training here from British Columbia about a year and a half ago. Training with Firas has been awesome and all the other coaches have been really beneficial. By training here I have specialized coaches for MMA, boxing, strength and conditioning, wrestling, etc. Another benefit is all the top training partners that come here. It’s a great opportunity to train with GSP and Kenny Florian.”

With most fans predicting a one-sided win for MacDonald here, what does a win over Che Mills prove? While a gifted striker with a record of 14-4, does he stand a chance against the GSP-trained prodigy?

MacDonald is predicted to beat Mills handily. If he does, expect MacDonald to face a highly-ranked opponent in the UFC’s stacked Welterweight division as his next challenge.