UFC: Rory MacDonald and Rick Story win in Canadian and Swedish events
Two UFC events yield two 170-pound contenders
Tuesday 21 October 2014 16:27, UK
Rory MacDonald jumped to the top of the welterweight pile with a third-round knock-out of Tarec Saffiedine in his home country of Canada, while Rick Story outlasted Gunnar Nelson over 25 minutes in Sweden.
MacDonald now awaits the outcome of Johny Hendricks' title defence against Robbie Lawler after his first stoppage in two years. Story, meanwhile, emphatically cancelled the hot streak of Dublin's Straight Blast Gym by edging Nelson.
Halifax, Nova Scotia
The Canadian MacDonald, the protege of legendary Georges St-Pierre who is now a title challenger in his own right, landed a crushing left uppercut to stop Saffiedine.
He finished the job on the ground having dominated the three rounds up until the finish.
Stockholm, Sweden
SBG's glory surrounding UFC Dublin and Conor McGregor's success ended as Nelson slipped to a decision loss to Story.
Nelson's trademark submission game was nullified by Story's superior striking - his fourth-round knock-down was the highlight of a split decision.
It was a frustrating night for local talent as Akira Corossani, Ilir Latifi and Niklas Backstrom were convincingly beaten.
England's Mike Wilkinson and Dublin's Cathal Pendred were successful
