Diaz-MacDonald Slated for UFC 129

The proposed welterweight scrap has yet to be officially announced by the promotion. The event, which goes down April 30 at the Rogers Centre, will be headlined by a welterweight title tilt between longtime champion Georges St. Pierre and newly acquired UFC talent Jake Shields. Sherdog confirmed the Diaz-MacDonald matchup with sources close to the negotiations, after MMA Fighting initially reported the bout on Friday.

Diaz comes off a contentious split decision defeat at the hands of Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 125 on New Year’s Day. Prior to that fight, the Cesar Gracie product had won three of his last four contests, with the lone loss in that span coming to current top lightweight contender Gray Maynard via split decision at UFC Fight Night 20. Known for his slick jiu-jitsu and lanky boxing, Diaz has won “Submission of the Night” honors twice and “Fight of the Night” a whopping four times. Winner of Season 5 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Diaz holds notable victories over Melvin Guillard, Kurt Pellegrino and Josh Neer.

Just 21 years old, MacDonald burst onto the scene one year ago, submitting veteran Michael Guymon with an armbar late in the first round of MacDonald’s promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 20. Then unbeaten, MacDonald stepped into the Octagon five months later against a stiffer test in former WEC welterweight king Carlos Condit. For two rounds, MacDonald gave Condit all he could handle. In the end, however, the veteran proved too much and managed to turn the tables in the third period. Condit grounded the younger fighter and proceeded to pound away. With only seven seconds left in the UFC 115 fight, the bout was stopped and Condit was declared the victor. MacDonald has not fought since.

UFC 129 will also likely feature a light heavyweight showdown between former champions, as Lyoto Machida takes on hall of famer Randy Couture. Additionally, Phil Davis will reportedly square off with fellow wrestler Matt Hamill, and former WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson will look to bounce back from his defeat to Anthony Pettis with a victory over Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Mark Bocek.