Thompson wins 7th straight with dominant decision over MacDonald

Stephen Thompson might have booked his ticket to a title shot Saturday with a win over No. 1-ranked Rory MacDonald.

The fighter known as "Wonderboy" took a lopsided unanimous decision from MacDonald in the five-round main event of UFC Fight Night 89 in Ottawa, Ontario.

It was the seventh straight win for Thompson, exactly what he needed to cement himself as the next in line for a welterweight title shot.

On the other side, MacDonald's slow, methodical performance did little to endear him to the live crowd or the judges. He now finds himself on the first losing streak of his career after falling short in a championship bid in July.

This was the last fight on MacDonald's UFC contract and he now heads into free agency under inauspicious circumstances.

MacDonald did his best work in the final round, but by then Thompson had built up a big lead and he was unshaken by the late charge.

Simply put, MacDonald couldn't find a way to get in close to Thompson. The karate expert stabbed at MacDonald with side kicks and punished him with counter-punches.

MacDonald even began the fight strangely. Twice he went for Imanari rolls in the opening round to grab hold of Thompson's leg, and twice he came up with nothing.

That rhythm stayed consistent for the remainder of the match. When the scorecards were read, all three judges gave the fight to Thompson with two awarding him shutout scores of 50-45.

In his post-fight interview, Thompson challenged the winner of the upcoming welterweight title bout between champion Robbie Lawler and Tyron Woodley.

There's no denying him now.