For years, Rory MacDonald was heralded as a future UFC champion.

It was essentially a matter of "when," not "if," fans would see the Tristar product wrap UFC gold around his waist. But with a pair of losses to Robbie Lawler and his most recent defeat to Stephen Thompson, fans feared the amount of wear and tear MacDonal sustained inside the Octagon had finally caught up with him.

When we broke the news this morning on FloCombat the talented welterweight had made the jump over to rival promotion Bellator MMA, fight fans quickly began to water at the mouth over the potential matchups.

Michael Page

How can you have a list of potential top fights in Bellator's welterweight division without including arguably the most exciting 170-pound fighter on earth? Page (11-0), a former kickboxing and karate champion, has taken the combat world by storm with his crowd pleasing style and antics, both in and out of the cage (remember his Pokémon shenanigans?). He's essentially the opposite of what the cool, calm and cerebral MacDonald brings to the cage.

With 10 of his 11 wins ending in stoppage, including nine within the opening round, it's safe to say Page is in desperate need of a step up in competition.  A future matchup with MacDonald would not only entice the die-hard fans who have been clamoring for Page to gain more recognition but also prove once and for all if the man they call "Venom" is a legitimate contender at 170 pounds.

Douglas Lima

This potential matchup depends entirely on whether Bellator officials want to give MacDonald one fight before granting him a title shot. So as one of Bellator's longest tenured welterweights—and a former champion—Douglas Lima (27-6 MMA, 9-2 Bellator) would make the most sense for MacDonald's promotional debut.

In terms of competition, Lima was last seen earning a decision win over Paul Daley at Bellator 158 earlier this year. This got him back into the win column after seeing reigning champ Andrey Koreshkov walk away with his belt last July at Bellator 140.

Lima is most likely in need of at least one more impressive victory over a top contender if wants to launch his name back into title contention. Combine this with 23 career stoppage wins, including 12 by way of (T)KO, and a future number-one contender's bout against MacDonald on Spike TV would guarantee fireworks.

Andrey Koreshkov

Do we really need to explain this one?

After all, former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson received a welterweight title shot in his Bellator debut. So, it would only make sense for MacDonald, a natural 170-pounder, to receive the same treatment.

If MacDonald does come out on top against the Russian champion, he would finally earn his first major title on U.S. soil while simultaneously giving Bellator an established name to build off. One the flip side, if Koreshkov emerges victorious, it would not only legitimize him in the eyes of fight fans but also cement Bellator as viable challenger for UFC's position as the top fight promotion in the world.