UFC 129's MacDonald-Diaz, Ellenberger-Pierson to Air on Spike

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Spike TV on Thursday announced the two bouts that will comprise the network's UFC 129 “Prelims Live” special on April 30, as Rory MacDonald meets Nate Diaz while Jake Ellenberger locks horns with Sean Pierson.

As with all of the “Prelims Live” specials, the hour-long broadcast begins one hour prior to the pay-per-view card. Spike last aired preliminary contests for UFC 128, drawing 1.3 million viewers last month. The viewership record for a prelims special was set in February, as 2 million viewers tuned in to watch Paul Kelly, Donald Cerrone, Chad Mendes and Michihiro Omigawa, respectively.

Headlined by a welterweight title fight between dominant UFC champion Georges St. Pierre and former Strikeforce middleweight king Jake Shields, UFC 129 goes down from the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Expected to break live attendance and gate records, the event marks the UFC's inaugural trip to Ontario.

Only 21 years old, MacDonald recently suffered the first loss of his five-year pro career. The former King of the Cage lightweight champion debuted with the UFC in January 2010, submitting Michael Guymon with an armbar in the first round. The Canadian young gun looked sharp in his sophomore Octagon effort as well, nearly defeating former WEC champ Carlos Condit before succumbing to ground-and-pound with only seven seconds left in the fight.

Diaz, 25, comes off a contentious unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Dong Hyun Kim on New Year's Day. Diaz debuted with the UFC in 2007, defeating Manny Gamburyan to win “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5. Fighting at both welterweight and lightweight, Diaz holds a record of 8-4 inside the Octagon. A member of Cesar Gracie's “scrap pack,” Diaz is the younger brother of Strikeforce welterweight champ Nick Diaz.

A late replacement for the injured Brian Foster, Ellenberger steps into the cage riding a three-fight winning streak. “The Juggernaut” has only lost once in nearly three years, suffering a 2009 split-decision defeat to Condit in his UFC debut.

Pierson holds a six-fight winning streak of his own heading into the bout, outpointing Matt Riddle in his UFC debut in December. A Toronto native, Pierson owns all but one of his career victories by either knockout or submission.