Welterweights
Rory MacDonald (22-8-1, 1-2 PFL) vs. Brett Cooper (28-15, 1-0 PFL)MacDonald’s first PFL season did not go as planned. He was surprisingly outwrestled by Ray Cooper III before suffering a contentious split decision defeat to Gleison Tibau that was selected as Sherdog’s “Robbery of the Year” for 2021. MacDonald has not been the same since wars against Robbie Lawler and Stephen Thompson in his final two UFC bouts, but he was still able to capture a title in Bellator despite having some admitted struggles with motivation there. This may not be a prime “Red King,” but the talent is still there to make a run. MacDonald excels at using his jab to set the range, and he will also mix in high kicks and front kicks to keep opponents guessing. He can be a solid combination puncher in the pocket and is also capable of throwing elbows at close range. What makes MacDonald truly dangerous is his ability to blend striking and grappling. The Canadian is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who advances position, transitions smoothly and has good timing on takedowns. His ground-and-pound from top position is also a potential fight finisher. Cooper, a former Absolute Championship Akhmat welterweight titleholder and a middleweight title challenger in Bellator MMA, has been fighting professionally since he was 18 and is well-traveled, with experience in a number of quality organizations. Cooper briefly retired in 2015, but that did not hold up, as “Fudoshin” has accumulated 10 bouts since then. While Cooper is decently well-rounded and a solid finisher, he has struggled against dominant topside grapplers with the ability to pass and submit. That figures to be a problem against MacDonald, who should be more skilled than his opponent in all aspects of the fight. This is a good chance for MacDonald to get back on track. He takes Cooper down and wins by TKO or submission.