Whether or not he wants it, is Rory MacDonald a star in the making?

Fowlkes: I don’t know if you noticed it, Danny, but there was a weird moment at the UFC 174 post-fight press conference when Rory MacDonald started talking about fighting in front of a hometown crowd in the great northern wilds. When asked about carrying the hopes of his home country upon his shoulders, MacDonald noted that he wants to be liked by his fellow Canadians, “but I don’t want to be a superstar.”



I wouldn’t worry too much about that happening just yet if I were MacDonald, but it’s also kind of a weird thing to say, right? Especially after perhaps the biggest win of your career, in a fight that, depending on how the Robbie Lawler-Matt Brown tilt shakes out next month, could conceivably land you in a UFC title fight?



Why would a super talented young fighter go out of his way to make sure we don’t like him too much? Is this MacDonald’s way of making sure we know he’s emotionally unavailable, just like your freshman-year girlfriend?



Downes: Can’t a bro just fight guys in a cage and discuss whether or not to cuff your suit pants without all the unwashed masses harassing him? It may be easy to chalk those comments up to MacDonald’s social awkwardness, but I think it’s a conscious decision. He has been set up to be “the next GSP,” for a number of years now. Now he’s on the cusp of a welterweight title shot, and one step closer towards fulfilling that challenge.



MacDonald’s seen first-hand the toll of being a welterweight champion superstar has on a person. It’s not all NOS commercials and Captain American movies. GSP has talked about the emotional and mental stress of being the champion and Rory wants none of it.



Just because you ask for something, though, doesn’t mean you’ll get it. Being a fighter is about a lot more than what you do inside a cage (especially if you want to wear clothes other than T-shirts and sweatpants). As fights become more important, your profile has to raise along with it. Like it or not, you can’t just show up on fight night and not have to deal with anything else. Isn’t this just a case of MacDonald wanting to have his chiffon cake and eat it too?



Fowlkes: It’s true that being a superstar champ eventually took its toll on GSP. It’s also true that it made him rich enough to retire in his early 30s, thus freeing him up to appear in action movies and get his groove on in trendy nightclubs. Whatever stress he might have experienced there toward the end, seems like he’s making up for it now. Seriously, that guy could write a book on blowing off steam. If he did, though, chapter one would be called: “It helps to be rich and famous.”...

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So... Is he, will he become and is he even the material for a superstar?



I must admit, his personality doesn't sit well with me. I find him borderline sociopatic and uninteresting and I think he tries too hard to be that "I don't give a f*ck" guy.



However, he's got potential and he is young. He could very well become the next GOAT for all we know.



So... Who do you think he should fight next and how far do you think he can come?

Statistics: Posted by vstipic23 — Jun 16. 2014, 00:32 — Replies 0 — Views 0

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