(This story appears in today’s edition of USA TODAY .) UFC welterweight contender Rory MacDonald spent much of the past few weeks insisting he would not and could not fight friend and teammate Georges St-Pierre . Not even for the UFC welterweight title St-Pierre has held for the last five years. Before MacDonald’s lackluster unanimous decision win against Jake Ellenberger (29-7 MMA, 8-3 UFC) at UFC on FOX 8 in Seattle, UFC President Dana White said he didn’t believe it. After the plodding performance by MacDonald (15-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who used a jab and a front kick and little else to win the fight on all three judges’ scorecards, it seemed like persuading MacDonald to accept a UFC title shot was the least of White’s concerns. “I don’t think he moves down the ladder,” White said of MacDonald after the event. “But do you think anybody’s screaming to see him fight again?” White had a point. With the win, MacDonald, 24, who’s ranked No. 6 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA welterweight rankings , found himself in a sort of no-man’s land