Rory MacDonald and Demian Maia Look to Rebound in Welterweight Clash at UFC 170

Just a few days ago, UFC officials had been working hard to put together a welterweight showdown between Rory MacDonald and Demian Maia.

Their efforts paid off, as the promotion on Friday announced that MacDonald vs. Maia would take place on Feb. 22 at UFC 170 in Las Vegas.

The announcement came shortly after Rashad Evans revealed that he would headline the card by welcoming Daniel Cormier to the light heavyweight division.

MacDonald and Maia is each coming off of a loss in his most recent bout.

MacDonald (15-2), who had seemed to be on a collision course with training partner Georges St-Pierre, had any talk about fighting his teammate set to the side when Robbie Lawler won a split decision victory over him at UFC 167 in November.

Prior to losing to Lawler, MacDonald had been on a five-fight winning streak that included victories over the likes of Jake Ellenberger, BJ Penn, and Nate Diaz.

Maia (18-5) also appeared to be rocketing up the ranks towards St-Pierre, but had his hopes for a title shot dashed by Jake Shields. Shields was also the recipient of a split-decision nod, scoring the win over Maia in their headlining bout at UFC Fight Night 29 in early October in Brazil.