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          Rory MacDonald out of UFC 152

          • Brett OkamotoAug 5, 2012, 05:09 AM
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              Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
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          LOS ANGELES -- UFC welterweight Rory MacDonald has suffered a deep facial cut while training and is out of a highly anticipated fight against B.J. Penn scheduled for Sept. 22.

          UFC president Dana White confirmed MacDonald's withdrawal during a press conference on Saturday. It remains unknown whether Penn will remain on the UFC 152 card in Toronto.

          "Rory is out," White said. "He got cut open today -- wide open. No contact for a month."

          White added the cut required, "38 to 48 stitches," and is above the left eyebrow.

          MacDonald (13-1) has been one of the fastest rising stars of the UFC since his debut in January 2010. The 23-year-old Canadian already holds wins over Nate Diaz and Mike Pyle.

          He was literally seconds away from a victory over current No. 1 contender Carlos Condit at UFC 115 before suffering a TKO loss in the final round.

          After considering retirement since his last fight in October 2011, Penn (16-8-2) ultimately opted to extend his career against MacDonald. The former two-division UFC champion is 1-3-1 in his last five fights.