Tyron Woodley vs. Rory MacDonald winner not yet guaranteed title shot

QUEBEC CITY – A UFC 174 matchup between Tyrone Woodley and Rory MacDonald isn’t the title eliminator many might think it is.

At the moment, UFC President Dana White won’t say the winner of the June welterweight bout will get a shot at champ Johny Hendricks.

“It’s definitely one of those fights that puts a guy in contention,” White said. “Is the winner of that fight going to get a title shot? That I don’t do.”

Of course, White and the UFC do announce certain bouts as title eliminators, such as this Saturday’s heavyweight headliner between Travis Browne and Fabricio Werdum at UFC on FOX 11. Countless other headliners have been trumpeted as the final hurdle to a shot at the belt, though not all have seen the opportunity materialize.

The welterweight bout’s stakes could change as the event nears, of course. Promotional hype is known to build as more attention is directed at a particular card. So it could be that White is merely saving his energy for the summer.

UFC 174 takes place June 14 at Vancouver’s Rogers Center. The event’s main card, including Woodley vs. MacDonald, airs live on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Woodley (13-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) unsuccessfully campaigned for a title shot following his win over Carlos Condit at this past month’s UFC 171. But he subsequently told MMAjunkie that he would continue to beat opponents until the promotion gave him a title shot.

MacDonald (16-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) comes into the bout with a recent win over Demian Maia at UFC 170, which put him back on the right track after a split decision loss to Robbie Lawler at UFC 167.

MacDonald, too, has called for a title shot with a win, and in his native Canada, no less. For now, though, it looks like he and Woodley still have some convincing to do with the UFC.

For more on UFC 174, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Rory MacDonald)