Is Rory MacDonald the next big superstar?

While Saturday’s main event has been anticipated for a year, and is doubtless the show’s primary draw, the main card includes a fight that may bring Rory MacDonald to full recognition.

Canadian MacDonald is 12-1 and at 22-years old one of the youngest fighters in the UFC. The only decision on his record was to Nate Diaz, and his sole loss was an RSC with seven second left to Carlos Condit, in a fight in which he was leading on the judges scorecards.

This kid’s awesome, said UFC president Dana White recently. Even Georges St-Pierre says he’s the next Georges St-Pierre, so that’s pretty impressive.

This kid could be the next big superstar. We’ll see. You never know. I don’t like to throw that kind of pressure on guys.

Saturday MacDonald fights Englishman Che Mills after an eight-month layoff. Mills is 14-4 and on a five fight win streak, including three first round KOs, but is fighting in the UFC for only the second time.

I really don’t know all that much about him, said MacDonald of Mills. 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 opponent’s 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.

While on paper this appears to be a stepping stone fight for MacDonald, the only thing you know for sure in MMA is that anything can happen, which is why you have the fight.