HALIFAX - Rory (Ares) MacDonald has shown his championship credentials. Now he stands in the UFC wings, waiting for his title shot.The 25-year-old welterweight took full advantage of his first UFC main event Saturday night, stopping former Strikeforce champion Tarec (Sponge) Saffiedine at 1:28 of the third round of a televised Fight Night card.It was a clinical finish after two strategic rounds that saw bursts of activity from the two fighters.MacDonald, ranked No. 2 among welterweight contenders, clipped Saffiedine with a right to the back of the head and then felled him with a powerful left uppercut. A turtled Saffiedine was finished on the ground by seven piston-like punches, with referee Herb Dean stepping in to save the American-based Belgian.Saffiedine, ranked ninth, was left dazed and bloody on the canvas.MacDonald (18-2) used his size and reach — and ability to control distance — to blunt Saffiedines considerable kickboxing skills.Tonight I felt at my best, he said after the fight, clad in a stylish suit and his face largely unmarked. I was really flowing out there.As he did in previous 2014 wins over Tyron (The Chosen One) Woodley and Demian Maia, MacDonald negated his opponents skills. Saffiedine, a dangerous fighter, did not look threatening.Man, I dont really have an excuse, said Saffiedine (15-4). I came prepared, I had a good camp. I was mentally ready, physically ready.Now MacDonald awaits UFC 181 on Dec. 6, when champion Johny Hendricks defends his title against No. 1 contender (Ruthless) Robbie Lawler.Despite losing via split decision to Lawler at UFC 167, MacDonald says he doesnt care who wins in December.I just want to fight the best man. Whoever, he said.Whoever it is, MacDonald — a native of Kelowna, B.C., who fights out of Montreal — seems the logical choice to face the winner.I really dont see anyone else, he said. Ive beat some really good guys this year. ... Hopefully the UFC takes notice and puts me in that title fight so I can bring it back here to Canada.I feel like the natural step is the title shot, he added. The 170-pound title used to belong to Georges St-Pierre, who trains with MacDonald in Montreal. St-Pierre vacated the title last December, saying he needed time away from the sport. He has yet to decide whether he will return.While only 25, MacDonald has been fighting in the UFC since January 2010. Now 9-2 in the UFC, he has had to wait his turn.Overshadowed by the iconic GSP, it took him 11 fights to get a main event. A fighter who rarely betrays his emotions, he has taken a zen approach to MMA.I wait and see how everything turns out, he said. Ill reap the benefits later, win or lose.While not one to wear his heart on his sleeve, MacDonald banged his chest when the fight ended Saturday and finally flashed a smile when his hand was raised.Should MacDonald continue his winning ways, one wonders what might happen if St-Pierre decides to come back. UFC boss Dana White has already said GSP could return to a title bout.The two teammates said in the past they wouldnt fight.But while GSP returns from knee surgery sustained training during his hiatus, MacDonald keeps getting better. Against Saffiedine, MacDonald landed 47 of 111 attempted significant strikes for a success rate of 42 per cent (he averages 43 per cent), according to FightMetric. Saffiedine was good on 42 of 136, (30 per cent, well below his average of 50.7 in Strikeforce, fourth-highest in the organizations history).The six-foot MacDonald is a big, well-rounded welterweight. He is both hard to take down and good at taking his opponents down.MacDonald comes across as somewhat cold because of his single-minded focus when it comes to fighting. But Saturday night he paid tribute to his fan support both in Canada and beyond the borders.Its a huge thing for me and all fighters to be recognized for our hard work and what we put on the line when we step in there, he said. It takes some sort of bravery.Its nice when people acknowledge that and are appreciative of what we do.The soldout crowd of 10,782 at the Scotiabank Centre deserved kudos for their enthusiasm and stamina. The main event ended at 2 a.m. local time.Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter Air Max 1 Uk Sale . The teams all-time leading scorer, DeRo has won everything there is to win in MLS. Air Max 1 Discount Uk .A. Happ. The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking to improve the starting rotation ahead of next season and pitchers like Happ have a chance to show they belong as the disastrous 2013 campaign draws to a close. http://www.airmax1uk.com/ . Tokarski, a somewhat controversial choice -- with his 10 games of NHL experience and all -- to replace an injured Carey Price in Game Two had a night to remember, turning back a Rangers team that was dominating play from the get-go, outshooting the Canadiens 14-4 in the first period and 37-25 overall. Air Max 1 Online Shop . If Vettel wins at Suzuka on Sunday, and his nearest rival Fernando Alonso finishes worse than eighth, the German driver will join his compatriot Michael Schumacher and Argentine Juan-Manuel Fangio as the only men to win four consecutive titles. Air Max 1 Wholesale Uk . - Gary Kubiak is John Elways No.As their Subway Series shifts to Citi Field, the New York Yankees and New York Mets will both turn to rookies on Wednesday evening with differing expectations. Watch the action on TSN2 and TSN GO at 7pm et/4pm pt. After dropping a pair of games to the Mets in the Bronx, the Yankees losing streak in this series has reached six in a row. They also have lost a season- high four straight overall and hope that Masahiro Tanaka can stop the bleeding in the first of two straight in Flushing. The right-handed Tanaka has yet to lose as a Major League pitcher, going 5-0 with a 2.57 earned run average through seven starts. However, dating back to his time in Nippon Professional Baseball, the Japanese hurler is unbeaten in his past 41 regular-season starts, going 33-0 since Aug. 19, 2012. Tanaka has won two straight starts and is coming off a 5-3 victory at Milwaukee on Friday. He gave up two runs on seven hits and a walk over 6 1/3 innings, striking out seven. He has won all three of his road starts this season while posting a 2.61 ERA. The 25-year-old also is the first Yankees rookie to begin his career 5-0 as a starter since Whitey Ford went 9-0 over 12 starts in 1950. The Mets have decided to give their future a shot on Wednesday night as 23- year-old Rafael Montero will make his MLB debut. Hell take the place of fellow righty Jenrry Mejia, who shifts to the bullpen. Montero is regarded as the Mets second-best pitching prospect behind Noah Syndergaard and went 4-1 with a 3.67 ERA in eight starts this season with Triple-A Las Vegas. In 24 starts at that level over the last two seasons, he is 9-5 with a 3.25 ERA while striking out 119 batters over 130 1/3 innings. And while the Yankees are looking for Tanaka to get them back on track, the Mets are simply ready to see what Montero can bring to the table. "We think hes ready now," Mets general manager Saandy Alderson told his clubs website of Montero.dddddddddddd "I think everybody in our system thought that he was ready. That doesnt mean hell have a positive result on Wednesday, but were confident that Montero is somebody who can be successful long term." Though the Mets have allowed 14 runs over the first two games of this extended series, they have gotten plenty of offense themselves in winning both games at Yankee Stadium. They jumped out to a quick lead on Tuesday night and rolled to a 12-7 win. Former Yankee Curtis Granderson and Daniel Murphy both hit three-run homers, with Murphy driving in four runs in total and David Wright adding three hits with two RBI to the Mets third straight win. Zack Wheeler gave up five runs on seven hits and six walks in 4 1/3 innings for the Mets and Daisuke Matsuzaka earned the win with 3 2/3 innings of relief work. "Any way we get wins is good, especially when we come up against a very tough team like the Yankees and to do it in their ballpark is obviously big," said Granderson. "It puts us in a position now to win the series but it definitely isnt done yet because we know the Yankees arent going to quit." The Mets have won the past six meetings in this series after having gone 3-9 against the Yankees in 2011-12. Vidal Nuno gave up seven runs -- five earned -- on four hits and four walks in just 3 1/3 innings to suffer the loss. The leftys ERA climbed nearly a full point to 6.43. "He just got some balls in the middle of the plate today," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. "Hes a guy who has to live on the edges and they made it hurt." Brian McCann hit a two-run homer and Yangervis Solarte added a solo shot for the Yankees, who have lost nine of their past 13 games overall. McCann finished with three hits and three RBI. ' ' '