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[leedogg900]

Originally Posted by leedogg900

Jason MacDonald is a likable guy -– well-spoken, humble, a true family man – but he’s never exactly been comfortable with his place in the UFC middleweight division. Ever since he was brought in to be Ed Herman’s first post-TUF opponent in October 2006, MacDonald (20-9) has been telling anyone who will listen that he’s nobody’s stepping stone.

I mean, he’s been saying it a lot.

MacDonald reminded us he wasn’t a stepping stone after he submitted Herman with a triangle choke. Then said it again after choking Chris Leben unconscious with a guillotine two months later. He repeated it as a mantra all the way up to his eventual loss to Rich Franklin at UFC 68, insisting he wasn’t a stepping stone so many times that it gave the impression he was overcompensating for something; Like the nagging feeling that the UFC really was using him as a stepping stone.

You can’t blame the guy for sounding like a “Monkees” record on repeat. UFC matchmakers very well might’ve assumed he would lose to both Herman and Leben and when he performed better than expected they rewarded him by feeding him to Franklin as a tune-up fight five months after the former champ was decimated by Anderson Silva for the first time.

Since the Franklin bout, MacDonald’s gone 2-1 in the Octagon, including a pair of quality wins over Rory Singer and Joe Doerksen. His only loss came last October to Yushin Okami, another adversary being groomed to fight Silva before a broken hand forced Okami off a potential main event at UFC 90.

So, you might think that after amassing a 4-2 record over two full years of competition, MacDonald would’ve finally earned his keep. But you’d be wrong. The UFC has set MacDonald up again this weekend, this time in a match against undefeated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu phenom, Demian Maia (7-0).

With the 185-pound division scrapping for opponents for its vaunted champion, the company would be foolish not to try to make something out of Maia, a former BJJ world and Abu Dhabi champion. He easily dispatched Ryan Jensen in his UFC debut and then put a submission clinic on Herman before finally finishing him with a combination of strikes and a mounted triangle choke at UFC 83 in April.

Some are theorizing that Maia has the skills to be the next big thing in the middleweight division, or at least a serious foe for Silva. In that regard, the UFC is reverting to a tried-and-true method of grooming him: By having him fight their established stepping-stone, Jason MacDonald.

The problem for MacDonald in this fight is that Maia obviously possesses better Jiu Jitsu skills, which effectively takes away MacDonald’s biggest strength. Though the Canadian is rightly pointing out in his pre-fight interviews that he’s a far more experienced mixed martial artist than Maia, it’s a good bet the Brazilian phenom eventually finds a way to submit MacDonald in this fight.

And that’s great for Maia, who is an exciting prospect in a weight class that sorely needs them. But it’s also kind of sad for MacDonald, who may well spend the rest of his career telling the world he’s not a stepping stone, while promoters just keep using him to put other guys over.

Nothing we havn't heard before. Just kind of an review of what he's done in the UFC. I like MacDonald though because hes Canadian and he's humble. Maybe he can silence the critics if he beats Maia.

[the_dark_angel_4ever]

I'm really looking forward to this one. Both guys were pretty impressive at UFC 83. Should be a great JJ match.

[marco47]

Does anybody really care what J-Mac has to say.......I didn't think so. I hate to break it to you Jason but yes you are a stepping stone, just accept it. Your not a bad fighter but your not championship material.

[2mcgrath]

im kinda curious to see how this fight goes,and i think the way they do in this article, maia is gonna be a force in the 185 division

[leedogg900]

Originally Posted by marco47

Does anybody really care what J-Mac has to say.......I didn't think so. I hate to break it to you Jason but yes you are a stepping stone, just accept it. Your not a bad fighter but your not championship material.

I think of J-Mac as a contender personally. He's 4-2 no reason to call him just a stepping stone. He beat Leben, Rory, Herman and Doerksen, those are some decent wins. He's obviously not the best in the division, but so far only the top guys have beaten him. The division is changing though, not sure how much longer he will be able to stay in the upper echelon of the division.

[marco47]

Originally Posted by leedogg900

I think of J-Mac as a contender personally. He's 4-2 no reason to call him just a stepping stone. He beat Leben, Rory, Herman and Doerksen, those are some decent wins. He's obviously not the best in the division, but so far only the top guys have beaten him. The division is changing though, not sure how much longer he will be able to stay in the upper echelon of the division.

J-Mac is not a contender. He lost to Franklin and Okami and he would not come close to beating Silva. Henderson would beat him and probably Bisping and I think Maia will take him, among others. If he's not a stepping stone, then what is he? He's not be top 5 in the MW division and will never be IMO that makes him a gatekeeper and Dana knows that.

[beardown98]

Not to take anything away from mcdonald but its put up or shut up time, if he keeps making this claim.

He has had this opportunity before (to prove he's just not a stepping stone) when he got fights against Okami and Franklin and he couldn't fight up to his level of competion.

I feel there is nothing wrong with being a gate keeper in the the worlds biggest MMA Org.

I know he is a competitor and will never be satisfied with that. anyone who has a competitive bone in their body would not like hitting a glass ceiling. If he wants to prove he is more than that he needs to beat this up and comer and get a few more wins against top comp before he should get a shot at a number one contender. But till then shut it

[Bones McGee]

I'd call him more of a gatekeeper than a stepping stone. He's a good measuring stick for Maia or any highly touted up an comer. If he can beat Macdonald he's a legit threat @ 185.

[atj-lucko]

We know Maia is the bomb when it comes to BJJ, but can J-Mac use that freakish long reach and maybe connect and land some big punches.