Rob MacDonald

BROOMFIELD, Colo. - On a night of below-freezing temperatures at the base of the Rocky Mountains, Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Rob MacDonald re-emerged as a new fighter to wrest the Ring of Fire light heavyweight title away from fan favorite Eliot Marshall. Having taken more than a year off from competition, MacDonald spent that time reinventing himself as a fighter following a disappointing 1-2 stint in the UFC. "I rebuilt from scratch. I rebuilt myself from my last two losses," he said following the fight, giving all the credit to his trainers. Having struggled against strong ground fighters in the past, Marshall was supposed to be a tough task for MacDonald. To this point in his career, Marshall had gone undefeated (5-0) in mixed martial arts and is a nine-time Grappler's Quest champion.But it was the rebuilt Canadian fighter that ruled from the start. He took Marshall down several times in the first round, controlling the pace of the fight, and working a methodical ground and pound strategy from side control. MacDonald took Marshall down again in the second round, but it would be for the final time, as he found his mark, landing several hard blows to the face causing the referee to stop the bout (Excerpt from mmaweekly)