| Michael McDonald | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael McDonald January 15, 1991 |
| Other names | Mayday |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 135 lb (61.2 kg; 9.6 st) |
| Division | Bantamweight |
| Reach | 70 in (178 cm) |
| Style | Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Fighting out of | Modesto, California |
| Team | Oakdale MMA |
| Rank | brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Years active | 2007 - present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 15 |
| Wins | 14 |
| By knockout | 8 |
| By submission | 4 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Losses | 1 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 0 |
| By decision | 0 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Michael McDonald (born January 15, 1991 in Modesto, California) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division of the UFC. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, McDonald fought mostly in regional promotions in his home state of California before signing with Zuffa in 2010.
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McDonald started training in kickboxing at the age of ten, turned to mixed martial arts at 14, and turned professional at 16 in 2007. He also has two brothers who have careers in mixed martial arts.[1]
He gained notable wins on the regional circuit defeating WEC veteran Manny Tapia and former WEC Featherweight Champion, Cole Escovedo. The latter avenging his only professional defeat, which also earned him the Tachi Palace Fights Bantamweight title with a second round KO. In the summer of 2010, he was listed as one of the top rising stars under the age of 25.[2]
In September 2010, at 19, MacDonald became the youngest fighter on the Zuffa roster when he signed with the WEC. He defeated Clint Godfrey via first round submission in his promotional debut on November 11, 2010 at WEC 52.[3]
On October 28, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.[4]
McDonald was expected to face Nick Pace on March 26, 2011 at UFC Fight Night 24.[5] However, Pace was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by promotional newcomer Edwin Figueroa.[6] The fight was highly entertaining with both fighters exchanging strikes and submission attempts throughout the entire fight and earned Fight of the Night honors. McDonald won the fight via unanimous decision.
McDonald faced Chris Cariaso on May 30, 2011 at UFC 130, replacing an injured Norifumi Yamamoto.[7] He won the fight via split decision.
McDonald was expected to face Johnny Eduardo on November 19, 2011 at UFC 139.[8] However, Eduardo was forced from the card with an injury[9] and replaced by promotional newcomer Alex Soto.[10] McDonald defeated Soto via first round KO, earning Knockout of the Night honors. McDonald clipped Soto with a counter right hand and then swarmed Soto with a flurry of punches against the fence.
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 15 matches | 14 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 8 | 1 |
| By submission | 4 | 0 |
| By decision | 2 | 0 |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 14-1 | Alex Soto | KO (punches) | UFC 139 | November 19, 2011 | 1 | 0:56 | San Jose, California, United States | Knockout of the Night |
| Win | 13-1 | Chris Cariaso | Decision (split) | UFC 130 | May 28, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 12-1 | Edwin Figueroa | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis | March 26, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Seattle, Washington | Fight of the Night |
| Win | 11-1 | Clint Godfrey | Submission (armbar) | WEC 52 | November 11, 2010 | 1 | 2:42 | Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| Win | 10-1 | Cole Escovedo | KO (punches) | Tachi Palace Fights 5: Stars and Strikes | July 9, 2010 | 2 | 1:12 | Lemoore, California, United States | Won TPF Bantamweight Championship |
| Win | 9-1 | Manny Tapia | TKO (punches) | Tachi Palace Fights 3: Champions Collide | February 4, 2010 | 1 | 4:31 | Lemoore, California | |
| Win | 8-1 | Carlos Garces | TKO (punches) | Tachi Palace Fights 1 | October 8, 2009 | 1 | 2:01 | Lemoore, California | |
| Loss | 7-1 | Cole Escovedo | TKO (punches) | PFC 13: Validation | May 8, 2009 | 2 | 2:25 | Lemoore, California | |
| Win | 7-0 | Jason Georgianna | TKO (punches) | PFC 12: High Stakes | January 22, 2009 | 1 | 2:38 | Lemoore, California | |
| Win | 6-0 | Randy Rodoni | KO (punch) | Gladiator Challenge 86: Day of the Dead | November 2, 2008 | 1 | 0:47 | Porterville, California, United States | |
| Win | 5-0 | Fernando Arreola | Submission | Gladiator Challenge 84: Bad Blood | September 7, 2008 | 1 | 3:49 | Porterville, California | |
| Win | 4-0 | Javier Vargas | TKO (punches) | Gladiator Challenge 81: Lights Out | July 27, 2008 | 1 | 1:38 | Porterville, California | |
| Win | 3-0 | Steve Frano | TKO (punches) | Gladiator Challenge 78: No Limits | May 18, 2008 | 1 | 1:17 | Porterville, California | |
| Win | 2-0 | Dominic Pena | Submission (arm triangle choke) | Gladiator Challenge 76: Alpha Dog Challenge | March 17, 2008 | 1 | 1:12 | Porterville, California | |
| Win | 1-0 | Joe Corona | Submission (triangle choke) | Gladiator Challenge 71: Lock-N-Load | November 11, 2007 | 1 | 1:17 | Porterville, California |