SPORTS

Georges St-Pierre stands behind Rory MacDonald's UFC win

The Canadian Press Published Sunday, July 28, 2013 3:30PM EDT

Canadian welterweight Rory (Ares) MacDonald (left) and American Jake (The Juggernaut) Ellenberger pose at their weigh-in for their co-main event at Saturday's UFC card in Seattle on Friday July 26, 2013. ( Neil Davidson / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

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SEATTLE -- Canadian welterweight Rory (Ares) MacDonald, under fire in some quarters for the manner of his UFC win Saturday, has got a vote of confidence from champion Georges St-Pierre.

MacDonald (15-1) received criticism from UFC president Dana White and others for not taking the fight to Jake (The Juggernaut) Ellenberger en route to a comfortable victory via decision.

MacDonald and trainer Firas Zahabi, who also coaches St-Pierre, both said they executed their game plan against a dangerous counter-puncher. And that the onus was on Ellenberger to come out of his shell after MacDonald pulled ahead.

St-Pierre agreed.

"He shouldn't care about the critics," the champion said in a text Sunday to The Canadian Press. "You don't brawl with a brawler.

"It was up to Ellenberger to open up and take more risk because he was losing and he didn't. Rory fought a great fight and even made it look relatively easy."

St-Pierre and MacDonald train together at Montreal's Tristar Gym.